India to start Jewish heritage tours for Indian-origin Jews

[Hindustani78]

The Beth El Synagogue | Photo Credit: Amit Datta


Good riddance, say some, while others worry about future funds

When the two grand synagogues of Kolkata — Maghen David of 1884 vintage at the crossing of Canning Street and Brabourne Road, and the older Beth El dating to 1856 on Pollock Street across the road — were reopened and rededicated after a prolonged period of restoration last December, there was much jubilation. Seventy members of the Jewish community from Israel, the U.S., Singapore and Australia witnessed the event. The two synagogues have been in dire need of a good scrub and reinforcement of their structural stability for a long time, and with the prospect of the Kolkata Metro tunnelling in close proximity to the heritage monuments in BBD Bag a clear threat to the soundness of their frame was obvious.

Long before the minuscule Jewish community of Kolkata decided to conserve these two synagogues, in 2002, Kasturi Gupta Menon, the then director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), had declared that the two synagogues and a few other heritage structures in West Bengal were under its protection. The third synagogue of modest proportions, Neveh Shalome, adjacent to Maghen David, was built in 1911. Unlike the two more magnificent ones, it was never under ASI’s protection. But the so-called protection was only in name because ASI hardly took any measures to save the two monuments, as some experts say.

The first Jew to come to Kolkata was the merchant, Shalom Aaron Cohen, in 1797. Under the protection of the British, at the height of their prosperity during World War II, the Jewish community here was estimated at 5,000-strong, which included refugees from Burma, Shanghai and Hong Kong which were occupied by Japan. They began to leave soon after Independence and moved mostly to the U.S., Australia and Israel, which was born in 1948. But Ezra Street, Synagogue Street, Ezra Hospital inside Medical College, and Gubbay House inside the zoo remind us of the eminent Jewish families in Kolkata. Some of the Jews may have been running away from Daud Pasha’s oppression, but they felt comfortable in once-cosmopolitan Kolkata, where the keepers of the synagogues have for generations been Muslims from Odisha.

Most opulent
The tall spire of the Italian Renaissance-style Maghen David stands out amid the impregnable thickets of hawkers’ stalls and concrete cages of Brabourne Road. It has a magnificent portico and the plaques on the walls outside tell the story of the community. The synagogue, said to be the most opulent in this part of the world, was constructed at the expense of Elias David Joseph Ezra, patriarch of the Ezra family, and dedicated to the memory of his father. It was built on the site of the old synagogue, Neveh Shalom.

Like the other two synagogues, a gallery runs along three sides of the rectangular place of worship. The gallery used for seating of women is held aloft by pillars. In Maghen David, a series of arches spanning the pillars adds to the grandeur of the composition. At the extreme end of the rectangle opposite the doorway is the sanctuary where the Torah scrolls are kept. Above the sanctuary is a section of a dome representing the indigo firmament spangled with gold stars.

In the middle of the huge rectangle, amidst the rows of pulpits, is the elaborately carved raised platform of the bimah for Torah reading. Dashes of colour are added by the red, blue and yellow glass in the rose window, by the lunettes and other large and small openings on the walls and alongside the staircases. Chandeliers and many-branched light fixtures add to the opulence of the synagogue’s Oriental tone.

Beth El Synagogue on Pollock Street, built by Moses Duek Cohen, was the first synagogue to be constructed in Kolkata in 1856. Its raised pediment has a Cooke & Kelvey clock set in it above the entrance, and is adorned with four Stars of David and a menorah. Directly over the flight of marble stairs above the doorway is a huge rainbow-hued glass panel that adds to the richness and warmth of the interiors.

Divided community
But until as recently as two years ago, Beth El was in bad shape. The woodwork, brickwork and masonry were crying out for repairs. Some of the glasswork and chandeliers too had to be replaced. Work began in December 2015, and it took two years to complete. It was executed by the Society for Heritage Conservation and Preservation, an NGO based in Lucknow. Amit Rathore of this organisation says they have been assisting ASI in its work for more than a decade. Here, they worked in tandem with IIT-Kharagpur and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation. Similarly, efforts were made with Maghen David too, where work started in April 2016.

The smaller Neveh Shalom too was dilapidated and closed for 30 years, says Jo Cohen, secretary of Jewish community affairs and managing trustee of Jewish Girls’ School. A local contractor repaired it in 2014.

The once thriving community of Baghdadi Jews, who were responsible for constructing some of the most outstanding landmarks of this city like Esplanade Mansion and Ezra Mansion, has shrunk to about 20 now. But it is a divided community. Its size notwithstanding, funds are clearly not lacking. The Jewry of Kolkata paid for the restoration of the two places of worship. And the bill must have been thumping. But Jo refuses to divulge the figures. And some members of the community are not happy with what they describe as “the lack of transparency” in monetary matters.

And now, ASI wants to wash its hands off these two synagogues. And with good reason. For the past 10 years, the Jewish community has been obstructing ASI’s every move to enter and restore these two “living” monuments where worship is still allowed, and which is the property of the dwindling community, said G. Maheswari, superintending archaeologist of ASI’s Kolkata circle, in a telephone interview. In a letter dated June-July 2017, A.K. Patel, director, monuments, ASI, had recommended “de-protection” of the two synagogues, although this can only be done through Parliament.

While G.M. Kapur, convenor, Intach, is glad the two monuments will be delisted as “ASI does little to protect monuments but interferes when some other organisation tries to help”, a prominent member of the Jewish community fears that restoration work on the two synagogues will eat into funds meant for other projects.

The writer is particularly fond of Old Buildings. His latest book is Calcutta 1940-1970: In the Photographs of Jayant Patel.

 

[Hindustani78]

Vice President's Secretariat
30-April, 2018 16:51 IST
India has celebrated plurality, diversity and inclusivity: Vice President

It is time to re-discover the treasure within; Addresses the civic reception being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkakaih Naidu has said that our country has celebrated plurality, diversity and inclusivity and we must collectively strengthen this unique perspective. He was addressing the Civic Reception meeting being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala today. The Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha, Dr. P.J. Kurien, the Minister for Water Resources, Kerala, Shri Mathew T. Thomas and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

The Vice President said that Kerala state has traditionally welcomed all religions and is the land of Adi Shankara, the greatest exponent of Advaita philosophy, the land of Cheraman Juma Masjid, the very first mosque in India, the land of Thomas the Apostle who walked this land in the sixth century AD and the land where the Hindu rulers like Sthanu Ravi Varma of Venad gifted a plot of land in the 9th century AD to build a church. He further said that it is the land where Judaism, Jainism and Buddhism co-existed over so many centuries. No wonder it is now called “God’s own country” where divinity has been worshipped in multiple forms by different sects exemplifying the ancient Indian vision of welcoming noble ideas and ideals from across the globe, he added.

The Vice President said that it gives him immense joy to be with the people of Kerala on this very happy occasion celebrating two important landmarks in the lives of two illustrious sons of our great country - Padmabhushan Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan and His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan. He also congratulated the Metropolitan Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma who is celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of his holy Ordination. The people have benefited from his visionary leadership and enduring passion for the health and well being of suffering humanity, he added.

The Vice President said that it is time to re-discover the treasure within. Churches, Temples, Mosques, Gurudwaras and other religious shrines are places of devotion, pious places of spiritual regeneration and catalysts of intergenerational transmission of cultural values. He further said that they are potentially the sites of social and community education and they serve to bring people together. However, if they stray from this path and dabble in politics and issue unwarranted divisive statements, they become dysfunctional, he added.

The Vice President hoped that these two strands of religion and politics are not mixed up and the religious leaders give spiritual guidance to every human being and the political leaders take inspiration from our noble heritage to provide a clean polity. Today is an occasion for that process of recognizing goodness, recognising the spirit of creating a heaven on earth through pious thoughts and righteous action, he added.

Following is the text of Vice President's address:

"It gives me great joy to visit Kerala, the ever green state of the Republic of India, what we fondly call the ‘God’s own country’, a state of which we are proud because of the enduring and enterprising spirit.

It is a unique state in India which has a literacy rate of 94%, the highest in the country, the highest human development index among all the states and the highest life expectancy and the highest sex ratio.

It is a state which has traditionally welcomed all religions over the last twenty centuries and is the land of Adi Shankara, the greatest exponent of Advaita philosophy, the land of Cheraman Juma Masjid at Kodungallur, the very first mosque in India. It is the land of Thomas the Apostle who walked this land in the sixth century AD. It is the land where the Hindu rulers like Sthanu Ravi Varma of Venad gifted a plot of land in the 9th century AD to build a church. It is the land where Judaism, Jainism and Buddhism co-existed over so many centuries. No wonder it is now called “God’s own country” where divinity has been worshipped in multiple forms by different sects exemplifying the ancient Indian vision of welcoming noble ideas and ideals from across the globe.

It is a matter of great pride that we have this illustrious cultural heritage in our country. Ours is a country that has celebrated plurality, diversity and inclusivity. We must collectively strengthen this unique perspective.

Today, we are celebrating the 101st birthday of His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan and 60th anniversary of priestly ordination of His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan.

I am aware that the Mar Thoma Church is an ancient Church founded by Saint Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ. It is also a national church with deep roots in the history of Independent India. The Church always stood for freedom and justice. Late Shri T.M. Varghese was among the trio who fought against the British in restoring Travancore State along with late Shri C. Kesavan and late Shri Pattom A. Thanu Pillai. I am also aware that when Emergency was declared, it was the Head of the Church, who wrote to the then Prime Minister protesting against Emergency and seeking its withdrawal. Thus, the Church always stood for freedom and liberty.

I am also happy that this ancient church has gifted to our nation several leaders of eminence and great stature, like Dr. M. M. Thomas former Governor of Nagaland, Justice K. T. Thomas Former Supreme Court Judge, freedom fighter late Shri T M Verghese and my colleague Prof. P. J. Kurien, the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

It gives me immense joy to be with the people of Kerala on this very happy occasion celebrating two important landmarks in the lives of two illustrious sons of our great country - Padmabhushan Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan and His Grace The Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan.

I congratulate Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom who has completed 100 years of active service to God and God’s devotees. I applaud his achievements and appreciate his contributions for the well being of the people of our nation.

I am reminded of the prayer in Atharva Veda which says – “Let us live for a hundred years and beyond, with good health, intelligence and everwidening thoughts”. His Grace Philipose Mar Chrystostam Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan is truly blessed that he has been given this vast and unique opportunity to serve humanity for so many decades. We are blessed to be in his presence today.

Many of you are well aware that Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrystostam Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan has endeared himself to his devotees because he showers his blessings through good humour and pleasant demeanour. Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan, possibly one of the longest living bishops in the world and a devout idealist, believes that the way to the creator is through the creations of God. He has internalised the essence of Christianity and propagated its tenets through his words and action.

When Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Valiya Metropolitan completed 90 years, I am very happy to note that the Mar Thoma Church through the Navathy Project reached out to the people in the margins and more than 2,500 houses were gifted to them. I came to know that Navathy celebration was inaugurated by veteran leader, Shri L K Advaniji and at that time, he had wished Metropolitan a life of more than 100 years and also assured to attend his 100th birthday. I am happy to know that he came and inaugurated the centenary celebrations last year.

I am happy to know that a biographical film has been made on centenarian Metropolitan Emeritus Philipose Mar Chrysostom, Who served as a bishop for nearly 66 years. Helping the needy and poor has been his sole mission and continues to be.

I also congratulate the Metropolitan Dr Joseph Mar Thoma who is celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of his holy Ordination. I am happy that the people have benefited from his visionary leadership and enduring passion for the health and well being of suffering humanity.

I am told that he is also a champion of environmental protection and I understand that through the great Maramon Convention, he is instrumental in taking up a large scale plantation programme.

It is indeed heartening that as part of Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma’s 80th Birthday, the Mar Thoma church has initiated a challenging project called 'Snehakaram' (hand of love) to give help for the people who suffer from life threatening diseases like cancer. Dialysis is being given free of cost to people in need of help and support. With a funding of more than one crore rupees annually, this Project is undoubtedly of great help and succour to people who suffer financial hardship. I am happy that this help is extended to all people, regardless of caste or creed.

I congratulate Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma for his ecclesia and ecumenical leadership in national and international arena.

I wish him many more years of leadership in the paths shown by Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma and other great leaders of the Mar Thoma Church. My best wishes are with you all for the success of the Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Diamond Jubilee Project also.

My best wishes are with the people of Kerala with its rich cultural heritage and wide range of religious traditions.

As I mentioned earlier, this state is a pace-setter for the nation in many ways.

It is fortunate to have an enlightened leadership for a long period.

The Maharaja of Travancore’s visionary leadership, the reformist zeal of Sri Narayana Guru, the invaluable contribution by the Church leaders like Rev. Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan and Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan as well as other spiritual and cultural leaders have enriched the cultural capital of India.

We are deeply indebted to these visionary leaders who had an underlying belief that service to humanity leads one towards divinity.

It might be worthwhile to remember what another great exponent of Indian thought, Swami Vivekananda had said in the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago on 27th September 1893:

“The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It becomes a plant. It develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth, and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant.

Similar is the case with religion. The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, nor a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.”

Mahatma Gandhiji, the father of our nation, also had said:

“The golden rule of conduct ... is mutual toleration, seeing that we will never all think alike and we shall always see Truth in fragment and from different angles of vision. Even amongst the most conscientious persons, there will be room enough for honest differences of opinion. The only possible rule of conduct in any civilised society is, therefore, mutual toleration.”

As we remember these ennobling statements and recognise today the outstanding work done by two of the blessed sons of India, we have a rejuvenated sense of well being.

We feel a new energy pervading in ourselves and the world around us.

A positive energy, a source of harmony, understanding, respect, a perennial fountain head of the timeless values that India has stood for.

It is time to nourish these roots. It is time to re-discover the treasure within.

Churches, Temples, Mosques, Gurudwaras and other religious shrines are places of devotion, pious places of spiritual regeneration and catalysts of intergenerational transmission of cultural values.

They are potentially the sites of social and community education.

So long as they fulfil this role, they serve to bring people together. However, if they stray from this path and dabble in politics and issue unwarranted divisive statements, they become dysfunctional.

I hope these two strands of religion and politics are not mixed up and the religious leaders give spiritual guidance to every human being and the political leaders take inspiration from our noble heritage to provide a clean polity.

Today is an occasion for that process of recognizing goodness, recognising the spirit of creating a heaven on earth through pious thoughts and righteous action.

Once again, thank you all for inviting me to be a part of this event.



Jai Hind!"

***

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at the Civic Reception meeting being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on April 30, 2018. The Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha, Dr. P.J. Kurien, the Minister for Water Resources, Kerala, Shri Mathew T. Thomas and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu lighting the lamp at the Civic Reception meeting being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on April 30, 2018. The Minister for Water Resources, Kerala, Shri Mathew T. Thomas and other dignitaries are also seen.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing the Civic Reception meeting being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on April 30, 2018.

The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu addressing the Civic Reception meeting being organised in honour of His Grace Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom & inaugurate the diamond jubilee celebrations of Holy Ordination of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta district of Kerala on April 30, 2018. The Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha, Dr. P.J. Kurien, the Minister for Water Resources, Kerala, Shri Mathew T. Thomas and other dignitaries are also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Home Affairs
01-May, 2018 19:00 IST
Union Home Minister asserts religion should always remain free from any coercion

Life and work of Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan is an inspiration to the entire nation says Rajnath Singh

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has said that religion is a personal choice and it should always remain free from any coercion or allurement. He was inaugurating the civic reception in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) accorded to honour Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan on completion of 100 years of age. Shri Singh pointed out that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi runs a government at the Centre which firmly believes in taking every section of our society along and build a New India. The goal is Development with unity and the dream of making our nation great again can be realised only when the people of India stand united.

The Home Minister said that India has been united not because one religion or some theological thought held the political power or exercised control over the system. This great nation is united because it provides space to peaceful coexistence of multiple thoughts and theologies. The problems faced by this country had always been addressed through a unique interplay of ideas and the biggest living proof of this interplay of ideas is our Constitution.

Shri Rajnath Singh said that the ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhav’ should be maintained in this country and continue cementing the pillars of United India. He said unity is our strength and we all must work to strengthen the bonds of unity, amity and harmony in our society. Shri Singh said this should be our resolve today when we are celebrating the birth centenary of Mar Chrysostom.

The Union Home Minister said the life and work of Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan is an inspiration not only to the people of Kerala or to the Christian community, but to the entire nation. His life is a shining example of how God can be worshipped through selfless service for the society and the humanity. Mar Chrysostom has endeared himself to all sections of Kerala Society through his inspiring words and works. The basic quality of Mar Chrysostom Metropolitan is his attitude of universal goodwill and his concern for the development and wellbeing of the entire community of citizens, transcending any narrow sectarian consideration. Considering his valuable contributions to Indian society for well over six decades, the Government of India has conferred Mar Chrysostom by awarding the ‘Padma Bhushan’ this year. By felicitating him with ‘Padma Bhushan’, the Government has not only shown respect towards him but also recognised his tremendous contribution, said Union Home Minister. While remaining true to his own Faith Mar Chrysostom has been able to raise himself above all sectarian considerations and divisions. He has motivated all sections of our society to love each other for the common good.

Shri Rajnath Singh pointed out that Mar Chrysostom is a man of prayer and he also works as a social reformer. His contribution towards the empowerment of weaker sections of our society is also noteworthy. He has dedicated his life to God through service of fellow human beings.

The Chief Minister Shri. Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the function. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Prof. P.J. Kurien, Minister for Tourism and Co-operation Shri. Kadakampally Surendran, Leader of Opposition Shri. Ramesh Chennithala, Shri. Shashi Tharoor (MP), Shri. V. Muraleedharan (MP), Mayor Shri. V.K. Prashanth and a host of other dignitaries including Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan were present on the occasion.

Earlier, Union Home Minister inaugurated the 19th Navaoli Jyothirdinam celebrations at Santigiri Ashram in Thiruvananthapuram. Speaking on the occasion, Shri. Rajnath Singh lauded the activities of Santigiri Ashram which not only spreads the light of spirituality but also take care of comprehensive healthcare of the society.

Shri Rajnath Singh offered floral tributes at the lotus Parnasala at Santigiri Ashram and interacted with Ashram inmates. Bahrain Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa was the Chief Guest at the function.



BB/ND/GK/NK

 

[Hindustani78]

Kerala floods replay the catastrophe that hit the ancient sea port Muziris in 1341

September 29, 2018 00:02 IST
Updated: September 29, 2018 13:06 IST

Doorways to history: Onsite museum at the Pattanam excavation site of the Muziris Heritage Project. The large structure is the new museum where work is in progress. The smaller structure (right) is the old museum. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat


In 1341, the ancient port town of Muziris on the Malabar coast was destroyed by a Periyar in spate. This August, the prized archaeological remains of this legendary trading post nearly met with the same fate, report S. Anandan and Shyama Rajagopal
In its long history, the Periyar river, which carves Kerala into its northern and southern halves, has proven itself to be as great a destroyer as it is a nurturer. When it rained incessantly in the State for three days in mid-August this year, triggering a menacing swirl in the Periyar, its waters threatened to wreck not just homes and lives but also a treasured historical legacy.

At the exact point where the Periyar empties into the Arabian Sea lies the area considered to be the location of Muziris, an ancient sea port. The region has yielded invaluable archaeological evidence of Kerala’s culturally indigenous yet commercially networked evolution over millennia.

Pattanam, a village at the heart of the Muziris region in North Paravur, had grabbed the headlines in 2007 when it emerged that it had been the site of ancient trade ties between the Malabar coast and Rome. In 1341, in one apocalyptic swell, the Periyar had erased this urban centre. The floods buried both the inter-continental trade ties as well as all evidence of the very existence of Muziris. The sea port and its glories were but a speck in the collective memory of Malayalis until the morning of August 14. But as the Periyar began to rise menacingly that evening, immediate reality and nebulous legend began to merge into a cataclysmic possibility.

“The whole place was under water,” recalls T.R. Sukumaran, 65, a retired schoolteacher from the locality, as he steps over clumps of overgrown grass at the Pattanam archaeological excavation site. He was one of the locals who had spent those three days worrying about the fate of the archaeological remains, even when their own lives were in danger.

S. Hemachandran, former Director, State Archaeology Department, tell us that Sukumaran’s fears were spot on. “The 1341 floods had caused huge geographical changes in the stretch between Kottappuram Fort and Pattanam,” he points out. “Their impact is evident in Paravur and Kodungalloor, which are just a few square kilometres apart. Muziris, which was located on the banks of the Periyar, near where the river meets the sea, bore the brunt of that flood. The same would have happened this time, but for Idukki dam, built in the 1970s.”

A close call
About 35 km north of Ernakulam, the stretch of land where the Pattanam excavations were carried out is nondescript. Covered in a thick layer of vegetation, it is separated from the disused staff quarters of the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) by a tall hedgerow. “This whole place went under water. The boxes, which had been moved in only a few weeks ago, were all submerged. Our immediate task is to clean up all this,” says Sukumaran, pointing at the colourful boxes stacked up in the portico of the KCHR staff quarters.

The markings on the boxes indicate the type of artefacts each contains and the date they were unearthed. “They are all scientifically examined, classified and catalogued, and safe,” he says, clearly relieved that the worst fears of local history enthusiasts did not come true. “Now, we need to clean them up for preservation.”

Just 2 km to the south of Pattanam, at Paliam Palace and Paliam Nalukettu — that form a part of the Muziris heritage site in North Paravur — that process is already on. The Periyar in spate had entered the museum, which was set up just recently under the Muziris Heritage Project, and caused extensive damage. The palace used to be the home of the Paliath Achans, who, as prime ministers of the erstwhile Kochi kingdom, had wielded power next only to the king. Today the building is a museum of Kerala history under the Muziris Heritage Project.

A view of renovated Kottappuram market near North Paravur, which was a thriving commercial centre during the Portuguese and Dutch period in the Kochi region. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat

When the Paliam Trust manager, Krishnabalan Paliath, reached the museum after the flood waters had receded, what he saw left him shocked. Most of the museum’s artefacts, including palm leaf manuscripts, urns, silver and gold figurines, swords, guns, elephant caparisons made of gold and other metals, mural paintings, sketches of the Paliam estate, and several old documents related to the functioning of the erstwhile kingdom, lay partially submerged in thick clayey water. At the Nalukettu (the traditional home of an aristocratic Malayali family of yore), large and small utensils of the ‘kitchen museum’ were found floating in the flood waters.

“I really didn’t know what to salvage first. These palm leaf manuscripts and each of the artefacts you see here are so precious,” Paliath says, gesticulating towards the young volunteers working patiently to restore each item. The Trust’s rescue efforts were aided by a team of experts from the Indian national committee of the Rome-based International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). Further, the inter-governmental organisation dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide, the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), also based in Rome, got one of their India coordinators, conservation architect Surya Prasanth, to approach the Paliam Trust. “It is the preliminary work of salvaging the artefacts that we have begun here,” says Prasanth, who is familiar with the work at Paliam.

Helping her in the work are conservationists from the Muziris Heritage Project. “We have the support of many international conservation experts who had visited the museum earlier,” says P.M. Noushad, managing director of the Project. “This is quite reassuring as there are no standard processes in conservation in the State’s Archaeology Department. We are confident that we will be able to salvage and restore most of the damaged items.” The museum, set up at a cost of ₹7 crore, has insurance cover and that is also a matter of relief.

A 2,000-year-old wharf
“This is the wharf plot,” says Sukumaran, pointing towards a piece of land that has been backfilled. This was where, in the first season of its excavation in 2007, the KCHR had stumbled upon the remnants of a 2,000-year-old wharf with a dugout canoe tethered to bollards in a trench. The hard wharf structure had been built using a mixture of clay, laterite crumbs, and lime. Its topmost portion, which was just 2 metres below the soil surface, sloped down to what was once the waterfront. There is a 4-metre wide canal that is a stone’s throw away to the east of the ‘wharf plot’. The mighty Periyar is to the south, less than a kilometre away. “Not long ago, Pattanam, a thickly populated part of the census town of Vadakkekara, a village in the Chittatukara panchayat between North Paravur and Kodungalloor, was like a maze, with numerous canals criss-crossing. But most of them have turned into sewers in recent times,” rues Sukumaran. Those sewers could hardly hold the flood waters as the Periyar rose during the August floods.

About 100 metres away, as the crow flies, is Khor Rori House, an old style, tile-roofed structure which houses the Children’s Museum at the Pattanam archaeological site. “The waters spared this building,” says Bibitha Praveen, a museum volunteer. “Potsherds and frankincense from the port town of Khor Rori in Oman, dating back to the early historic period (500 BCE to 200 CE), had been recovered during the excavations. We named it Pattanam Khor Rori Ware, as these have been found only in these two places,” she says, explaining the significance of what would have been lost had the waters entered the building. Besides life-size replicas of amphorae from the Mediterranean, the museum also showcases artefacts from the Pattanam find: unidentified objects and iron slag from the Iron Age and the early historic transition period; abundant quantities of glass, terracotta and stone beads from the early historic period; cameo blanks and stone debitage (debris generated during the production stone implements); intaglios from the early historic period; sliced stones that were gaming counters used by the Romans; glass slag, hopscotch and terracotta discs; glass fragments from Alexandria, lead scrolls, and copper coins.

“Almost 90% of the finds are from the early historical period,” says Praveen. The museum also has a replica of the famous Muziris Papyrus, a document dated to the second century CE whose original is in Vienna. A translation tells you that it was an agreement, probably between a banker in Alexandria and a merchant from Muziris, that enumerates the items traded. A copy of the Peutinger table, a 12th century facsimile of a fourth century parchment that maps the trade network of the Roman Empire, is also on display. The 22-ft-long parchment has Muziris plotted to its extreme right. “It is as if the world ended at Muziris for them,” says P.J. Cherian, former director of KCHR and head of the excavation team. “That Muziris had links with over 60 other ports across the Indian Ocean Rim, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean, which indicates its role in the proto-globalisation of those times. Here was a civilised society that lived in peace and harmony and thrived on trade,” he says.

Unsolved mysteries of Muziris
The valuable archaeological finds at Pattanam and the historical importance of the place as evidenced by them notwithstanding, there are many questions surrounding the true status that Pattanam enjoyed in its heyday. Was it really the legendary port of Muziris mentioned in the first century annals of Pliny the Elder and The Periplus of the Eritrean Sea? Was it the ‘Muciri’ that finds mention in Sangam literature and is thought to have perished in the floods of 1341? Or was it just another urban trade centre? These have been contentious issues among scholars.

Historian M.G.S. Narayanan refers to popular Graeco-Roman travel accounts to argue that Muziris was located 500 stadia south of Ezhimala in Kannur. Cheraman Perumal Bhaskara Ravi, who had granted privileges inscribed on copper plates to the Jewish trader Joseph Rabban in 999 CE, had referred to the port at his capital city Mahodayapuram (the present Kodungalloor) as ‘Muyirikkode’. “Pattanam, located 20 km away, might have been a different port altogether,” he says.

In the sunlight of glory: The Cheraman Juma Masjid, in Kodungallur, a 1,400-year-old structure and believed to be the country’s oldest mosque, will soon be restored to its original form. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat


Another set of historians believes that instead of squabbling over the precise location of Muziris, academic energies should be focussed on piecing together the ‘material evidence’ unearthed from Pattanam to produce a meaningful narrative. Kesavan Veluthat, who is set to take charge as director of the Institute for Heritage Studies of Coastal Kerala (IHSCK) being set up by Kerala government, and P.K. Michael Tharakan, chairman of KCHR, believe that historian Rajan Gurukkal’s contention that Pattanam could have been a transit location, a colony of merchants from the Mediterranean, has much merit.

But there is no dispute on the point that the Periyar, which brought the ancient commercial hub under a thick layer of alluvium centuries ago, was integral to the place’s historical prominence. “With a network of canals and rivers merging with the sea, merchants would have found it easier to transport goods from their vessels to inland locations using favourable monsoon winds in May-June. After a short sojourn lasting a few months, they would have returned home using the next monsoon. This is what brought coastal Kerala into regular trade contact with the West. I often joke that Kerala isn’t a part of India, it’s a part of the Indian Ocean. It was the Western influence that shaped it,” laughs Veluthat.

“Most artefacts were recovered from depths of 1.5-4 metres,” says Sukumaran. “A store also emerged in another trench, a little ahead,” he says, pointing to where the trench was. The spot is now covered in grass. This area used to be a part of his student P. Vinod’s ancestral property. Back in 2004, Vinod had allowed geoarchaeologist K.P. Shajan to dig it up. When it yielded pottery and beads in abundance, Shajan teamed up with fellow archaeologist V. Selvakumar to conduct a surface survey and excavation of the area under the Centre for Heritage Studies in Tripunithura. Subsequently, the KCHR chipped in with a multidisciplinary team to take the research forward.

Wary locals
Today, however, the place is desolate, with flood water marks visible on the buildings. Excavation work has ground to a halt, thanks to the lukewarm response of the local community to the resumption of work at the site.

“Though there are no overt protests, there is a marked indifference on the part of the locals towards the project,” says Sukumaran. “They are looking for immediate benefits and jobs, which they had enjoyed when excavation was underway. But these disappeared once the excavation was suspended. They do not have the patience to wait for the project to make further progress, for when that happens, this place could become a tourism hub and an archaeological hot spot. It would definitely open up business opportunities for them — in terms of homestays, eateries, or shops selling antique replicas as memorabilia.”

The local community’s reluctance to permit digging in their lands is another obstacle in the way of further archaeological excavations in the area, says Tharakan. While the KCHR has, over the years, acquired about nine acres of land, often paying the owners up to 60% over the fair value fixed by the government, many in the neighbourhood are wary of losing their land. Sudha Anattuparambil, 55, who lives near the Children’s Museum at Pattanam, smiles nervously when asked about the project. “We have been living here for almost 25 years and can never imagine a situation where our property is acquired, either for excavation or for any other purpose,” she says.

A few houses away from Anattuparambil’s is 38-year-old Shiju’s residence. Questions about land acquisition make him uncomfortable. A section officer at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady, Shiju is determined not to allow excavation on his property, even if it were to be done without his land being acquired for the purpose. But there is a way out, says Benny Kuriakose, architect and conservation consultant of the Muziris Heritage Project, which is today an ambitious community heritage conservation and tourism project that covers a 150 sq km area between North Paravur and Mathilakam (where the classical Tamil poet Ilango Adigal, who mentioned Muziris in his Silappadikaram, lived).

Kuriakose is of the view that excavation could go on at Pattanam if the land is taken over on a 90-day lease, especially land that would soon have structures built on it. “It is a model followed in cities like London. It is important to dispel people’s misgivings about the project,” he says. Kerala Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, who was instrumental in getting the project rolling, believes that the government will have to come up with a protocol for construction activity in the area so that “our precious history is preserved”.

The Children’s Museum itself is a work in progress. Its skeletal structure still stands on stilts, but it came in handy when the local community was displaced from their homes in the August floods. The building, used as a relief camp, accommodated 556 people from 128 families in the Chittattukara panchayat.

The floods this time around did not cause any geographical changes. But they did provide a clear indication of what might have happened in 1341, and what could happen again if the Periyar were to disgorge its waters on an ancient historical site that holds many secret passages to Kerala’s distant past.

With inputs from M.P. Praveen in Kochi