Paravur Synagogue : A Testament to Jewish Heritage in Kerala
The Paravur Synagogue, located in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, stands as a significant symbol of the Malabari Jewish community, also known as the “Black” Jews, who were the offspring of unions between European Jews and local natives. Believed to have been constructed in 1616 over the ruins of an earlier synagogue established in 1164, the Paravur Synagogue holds immense historical and cultural value. According to an engraving on a stone slab outside the synagogue, the fourth Jewish community leader, David Yaacov Castiel, initiated its reconstruction.
Among the synagogues in Kerala, the Paravur Synagogue is the largest and longest in structure. Its architecture reflects a harmonious blend of Jewish and traditional Kerala design elements. The synagogue's layout, with its prayer hall, Holy Ark (which houses the Torah, the Jewish holy text) and wooden rosettes on the ceiling, follows typical synagogue traditions. However, unique local features such as the Padippura (gateway), traditional lamps in the prayer room, and a special seating arrangement for women reflect Kerala's cultural influence. Additionally, some Portuguese architectural elements are also present.
The Paravur Synagogue has faced significant challenges throughout its history. It was bombarded during the Portuguese invasion in 1635 and rebuilt by a wealthy family. Later, during the late 1700s, Tipu Sultan’s armies damaged the synagogue during the Second Anglo-Mysore Wars. Despite these setbacks, the synagogue was eventually renovated, though it took many years to restore.
By the 1950s and 1960s, the Jewish community in Kerala migrated en masse to Israel, making it difficult for the remaining congregants to maintain the synagogue or conduct religious services. In the 1990s, the original Bimah (a raised platform for reading the Torah) and the Holy Ark were dismantled and taken to Israel. Ownership of the synagogue was transferred to the Government of Kerala in 2009.
Under the Muziris Heritage Project, led by Kerala’s Departments of Tourism and Archaeology, the Paravur Synagogue underwent extensive renovations between 2010 and 2013. Today, it stands as the “Kerala Jews History Museum,” preserving the legacy of the Jewish community and offering visitors a glimpse into the rich history of the Jews in Kerala.
Police Control Room: 100, 112
Fire Station: 101
Ambulance: 102, 108
These digital guides serve as invaluable tools for travellers planning their Kerala vacations.
At Ernakulam, a hodgepodge of cultures and traditions co-exist with ease. While the extensive stretch of backwaters continues to awe travellers, Fort Kochi, with a great blend of ancient charm and cosmopolitan nature, attracts tourists from across the globe
The colours that Ernakulam unites are diverse, the cultures that it represents are vast, but its soul embodies the very essence of God's Own Country. The place has so many ecotourism attractions like Thattekkad, Mangalavanam, Paniyeli Poru, Kodanad, Abhayaranyam and many more.
Looking for nearby destinations? Check-out these!
Here's a wide range of accredited hospitality services available in Paravur Synagogue : A Testament to Jewish Heritage in Kerala.
Your safety is our top priority: Choose from a select group of accredited adventure tour operators for an unforgettable experience.
Abseiling, High Rope Courses, Zip Line, Bamboo rafting, Kayaking & Canoeing
Dinghy Sailing, Kayaking & Canoeing, Surfing, Windsurfing
Vital local information you'll need to make your travel hassle free.
Rope in accredited tour guides to get an authentic taste of local experiences.
Sreejith Mohan
sreejith319@gmail.comPraveen Jacob
parodan@gmail.comCresbin E A
cresbinettunkal@gmail.comJude . K.P
judekpeter@gmail.comAshraff V M
vmashraff@gmail.comPraveen Kumar Shenoy. B
kannurguide@gmail.comBinu P Jose
binujoseonline@gmail.comLalan Mon C A
aaronclal207@gmail.comJoseph Thomas C
josephthomasc.joy@gmail.comJosemon Scaria
josemon.scaria@gmail.comSajin B.J.
sajinbj@gmail.comBinumon K.G
binumonkg@gmail.comAntony Thommen
antonythomman2003@yahoo.comMuhammed Basheer M S
muhammedbasheer.ms@gmail.comBiju T Mani
bijutmani@yahoo.comShajas. P S
shajasvaikom@gmail.comSalim P J
pjsalim@yahoo.co.inBinil John K
biniljk1@gmail.comTed Tony Tom
beachwood.in@gmail.comSaneesh T.P
sanimsw@gmail.comSanjay Johnson
sanjayjohnson@hotmail.comSajukurian
sajukurian56@gmail.comSibil Kumar.P.K
pksibil@gmail.comAswathy U
achoosasok@gmail.comRoshan K P
roshanpkurisinkal@gmail.comSuresh K. B
sureshkbwyd@gmail.comShaji Sebastain
shajisebastian22@gmail.comAnoop Francis K. B
anoopfranciskb03@gmail.comPadmaraj KM
Padmarajnair16@gmail.comShihab KA
shibushihab2004@gmail.comSanthosh.S.R
santsou@gmail.comJoseph Kuriakose
shinekuriakose082@gmail.comJibin. V. R
jibinveluraj@gmail.comShiju John
shijuk.x@gmail.comAshkar Rahim
ashkarrahim@gmail.comLawrence Melwyn
lmelwynr@gmail.comPrasannakumar S.
prasannakumarnath1@gmail.comDr.Jose Bejoy
withfullofgrace@gmail.comJojan Mathew
jojanstourindia@rediffmail.comMuraleedharan Pillai.N
murali7808@gmail.comVishnu Vijayan
vishnuxml@gmail.comUnnikrishnan. M S
unnimadathil07@gmail.comAnaz.A.B
basheer.anaz@gmail.comJeraldine livera
liverochn@gmaoilAbdulkhadar P.M.
abdulkhadar.parekkattu@gmail.comJobin Chacko
jobipnpnl@gmail.comRemya Mohan
akkuremo@gmail.comDeepu Sebastian
deepusebastiankkd@gmail.comRomi M P
romey.peter@gmail.comSadanandan.T.K
tksadanandan44@gmail.comThomson Dcruz
thomsonbiju1972@yahoo.comShajas P S
shajasvaikom@gmail.comRajeevan Pallath
parajeevan@yahoo.comNevel Padua
nevalpadua@gmail.comC. Satish
sateshc@yahoo.co.inBipin Mathew
bipinpaduva@gmail.comSathyadas K S
sathyadassathya69@gmail.comSuresh Kumar .K
achuammu.suresh@gmail.comFelix George
felixgeorgesaji@gmail.comArunkumar .S.S
arun777hiya@gmail.comV.K. Sreekumar
kumarkochin@yahoo.co.inP. X. Eugine Gevarghese
egevarghese@gmail.comFrancis Ponsaeka
francifrenchguide@yahoo.comArun Sebastian
travelwitharun@mail.comGeorge V V
georgev.guide@gmail.comShajeeb.S
shashajeeb@yahoo.comJunaid K.K
junucer247@gmail.comSivasankara Panicker.P
pspanicker@hotmail.comVarghese K.J
kjvarghese2010@gmail.comSanin Das
san.ur.legacy@gmail.comSajeev C T
ctsajeevcochin@yahoo.co.inAbhilash P Gopinath
abylashg@gmail.comPeter James
gilspeter949@gmail.comSuresh Kumar P
sureshethnic@gmail.comPhilip Rojan A. T
rojan177@gmail.comSunil Hussain
sunilhusssain1970@gmail.comAncel Correya
ancel.kestrel@gmail.comDanti Jacob C J
dantijacob@gmail.comDominic Shaiju K M
dominicshyju123@gmail.comSreekanth. S
guidesreekanth@gmail.comLinson C L
linsoncl.07@gmail.comRosemary Neel
cochinroadking@gmail.comAshraf Sulaiman
ashrofsulaiman2512@gmail.comSaadh Babu N H
saadhbabu@gmail.comJosemon TJ
josemontj@gmail.comMohana Chandran B.
mohana_1960@yahoo.co.inDileep Kumar V
dilzlieben75@gmail.comRajesh. P. K
rajeshpkay@gmail. comVarghese O.M
vargheseom8@gmail.comTomy Thoppil Joseph
teejaytomy@gmail.comMary Grifeena George
gkp2011mailbox@gmail.comUsha A.J
usha7856@gmail.comSunil Daniel
sunildaniel21@gmail.comRajesh K S
rajeshk121@gmail.comHareesh Das H
harisunora@gmail.comShevin K. R
shevincochin12@gmail.comSiddharth V.S
siddvs12@gmail.comShafi C M
shaaficm@gmail.comDeepa Francis
diepafb@gmail.comRajesh V
Rajeshkhd2008@gmail.comRajeesh. S. S
rajeshsathya1@gmail.comVinod. P. S
vtmlps@gmail.comSai Ramesh
saitheguide@gmail.comNishan Riza .P.E
nishanriza@gmail.comSundaramoorthy C.K
sundramoorthy@gmail.comGlenn Roy Nash
glenroyroy@gmail.comVijayakumar J
vijaythonnakkal@gmail.comSunil.S
ethnicvoyages@gmail.comJaisal M. K.
jaisalmk@gmail.comRejanish.V.S
rejanish100@gmail.comThanseer .U.H
thanseerhussain722@gmail.comAnil Joseph
aniljosf@gmail.comSaju Kurian
sajukurian56@gmail.comSreejith M.K
sreejithm053@gmail.comAlex Antony K. S
alexantonytktg@gmail.comBijukumar.B
shoestring.bk@gmail.comAlso, do not miss out on these Synagogue
Sign up for Kerala Tourism's monthly newsletter to learn about our events, offers and more…