Paradesi Synagogue

Paradesi Synagogue

Paradesi Synagogue: The Clock TowerThe next morning, we went for a drive around the area to seek out the popular Clock Tower of Cherai. The Paradesi Synagogue was built in 1568 A.D by descendants of Spanish, Dutch and other European Jews. It has served as a functioning synagogue through-out the centuries, and preserves a unique record of Jewish presence in India. The clock tower was added later in 1760.

So first we head to the Paradesi Synagogue which was constructed in 1567. Now, it's called Paradesi because it is a word used in several Indian languages and translates to "foreigners". So Paradesi essentially because it was built by Spanish Jews.Unfortunately even after hours and hours of research, this place was closed when we visited it. Because it turns out they had a major festival going on and it was a hundredth century of something, so it was open only till the afternoon. But, it still turned out to be great, as it was right in middle of a Jewish town and the town had a crazy market place. So if you want to buy something to take back for your family and friends from Kerala. This is the place! You won't find anything interesting ahead on the trip.You can easily spend around an hour just roaming around in these markets. And if you're a photographer, you can even spend an entire day here! I had a very hard time getting out of any shops I entered.