Cochin is staunchly Catholic and we have rarely seen so many churches and statuary everywhere.  

Cochin is the cradle of Catholicism in India.  Eight Franciscan friars arrived in Calcutta from Lisbon on March 9th 1500.  Those who survived the massacre on March 16th travelled on to Cochin and settled there.

Conversion brought many benefits.  Employment in civil offices, freedom from the caste system and Hindu law.  The Portuguese government convinced the Rajas to accord Catholics all the civil rights of their Hindu relatives including inheritance.

With many churches and business names like Little Flower Engineering Works or Infant Jesus Welding we can see at a glance that their legacy lives on.

The Dutch style clock tower of Pardesi Synagogue

Added to the synagogue in 1760, It has 4 faces  with Malayalam, Hebrew, Roman and Arabic numerals.

Legend has it there have been Jews in India since the time of King Solomon but modern scholars put the date at early Middle Ages.

Persecution and the pursuit of the spice trade brought them to Cranganore north of Cochin, later accused of interference with the pepper trade they were once again obliged to flee.  The Hindu Raja of Cochin granted them land and the area is still known as Jew Town. 

They fared badly during the Portuguese colonization but prospered with the arrival of the Protestant Dutch and later the British. 

With the Independence of India and the creation of the State of Israel many Jewish families left.  There are thought to be only 13 elderly Indian born Jews from 7 families left in Cochin.

Still in an ecumenical frame of mind we also visited this exuberantly decorated Hindu temple.