Hearitage

  In Kerala there are many places which are termed as heritage circuits & one such place is the Kottayam town which has some of the most important structures of heritage value. The Thazhathangady Juma masjid or Taj Juma masjid as it is known here is one such important heritage structure. The story of its origin & the beauty of its architecture is important for all to know. The mosque even today stands proudly along the backs of the meenachil river & is an iconic structure of Kottayam. Malik Dinar is the person responsible for bringing Islam to India & Kerala was the place he came first. He came to the shores of Kodungallur in the 7th century & spread the word of the Prophet. It was his son Habib Dinar who further propagated the message of Islam & is said to have built many mosques in the 8th century. The Thazhathangady Juma Masjid is one among these & possibly one of the most beautiful. It is also important to know that as per historians the erstwhile Th...

  Around half an hour's drive from Alleppey along the Pamba river stands an imposing structure which has been witness to changing times for over 15 centuries. This beautiful structure is the Kalloorkad St Mary’s Basilica church more commonly known as the Champakulam Church. One glance at the church today and its enormity is easy to understand but when it was built in the 5th century it was only a small parish with 100 seats. The church over the centuries has been rebuilt & reconstructed many times to its current grandeur. The church belongs to the Syro Malabar congregation & was built in 427 AD by the followers of the Apostle St Thomas with assistance from the local kings who were feudal lords. The apostle is credited for having built 8 churches around the state in the 1st century & this church was part of the parish of the Niranam church which was one among the churches built by St Thomas. St Mary’s church is today a Forane church with multiple parishes under its name ...

  For Hindus, Ramayana is the most beautiful epic story which teaches people the importance of truth & principles of life. The reverence to Lord Rama is thus seen all across the country with many temples worshipping Him. There are also temples where Devi Sita is given importance but there is one temple where Lord Rama is not worshipped but Devi Sita is the principal deity. The Seetha Devi temple in Pulpally at Wayanad has this unique distinction. It is also the only temple in the world where the sons of Lord Rama, Luva & Kusha are also worshipped. It is believed that Pulpally was the place where the ashram of Sage Valmiki stood & when Lord Rama abandoned Sita, she is said to have found refuge here. It is also the place where Sita gave birth to her sons. The area around the ashram became the playground for the two young boys. Devi Sita stayed in the ashram away from the sights of her beloved husband tending to her two sons who were heir apparent to the throne at Ayodhya....

  The Jews found Kerala as the safe haven & it is believed that they came to these shores much before the Christian missionaries in the 1st century. The Jews who came to Kerala were very enterprising and their truthfulness toward trade earned them a lot of respect from the local rulers & people. The place of worship of the Jews is a Synagogue & the Paravur Synagogue is considered to be the oldest in the commonwealth countries. The synagogue today does not have any members or daily prayers but the existence of this structure is for all to know more about the Jews of Kerala. The Malabar Jews or Black Jews as they were locally called came to the shores of Kodungallur & over the period of time based on their trade moved to other parts of the coast like Paravur & Chendamangalam. The synagogue as per the old members is said to have been built at 1616 AD but it is believed that the earliest structure here was built somewhere in the 10th or 11th century. The current str...

In ancient Kerala, Shiva temples were not just places of worship but they were administrative structures for the rulers. Such temples were referred as Thali & one among the four important Thali temples is the Keezhthali temple near Kodungallur in Thrissur. The temple today has lost most of its glory due to brutal attacks completely destroying its original complex. The story or its origin & its reverence though has stood strong even today after many centuries. Lord Parusarama in his time on earth is said to have consecrated many idols in different temples along the length of Kerala & the Siva idol here in the form of Kirathamurthy is one among them. The idol of Lord Shiva at the temple is the tallest among any other temples in Kerala & the priests have a unique way of conducting poojas in a standing posture. The Perumals who ruled Kerala in the 1st century were Shaivaites & are said to have built the temple which was later restored in the 12th century by the local r...

In the city of Kottayam one can find many important heritage sites belonging to different faiths. One such important heritage are two churches which in many ways describe the lineage of Christians in central Kerala. The Valiyapally & Cheriyapalli have stood guard to changing times and are today one among the most important heritage structures of Kottayam. The existence of these two churches are also based on the affluence of two of the most important congregations of Kerala Christians. The land of Kottayam from the 13th century became a fertile plain for many around as it offered them green pastures for trade. Though the Kottayam Kings ruled the land there were also many princely states around the different plains. One such ruler was the Thekkumkur kings who had their capital at Thirunakkara who endorsed the influx of Christians from other provinces as they were considered honest, truthful & had a good eye for trade. The Christians who were present in these parts of Kottayam be...

Kerala is a land which helped the missionaries to propagate the word of Jesus by spreading the religion of Christianity. The arrival of St Thomas in the 1st century was a stepping stone in this event & his preaching helped in converting a large population to Christianity. His followers grew & all those who followed him were termed as Thomas Christians. One such important group of Thomas Christians is the Malankara Syrian Orthodox church which today is one of the most influential group of Christian’s in Kerala. There are many churches associated with the Malankara church but the existence of the Thumpamon Valiya palli is a testament to their long history. The Christians in the southern part of Kerala in the later centuries after St Thomas were called Nasrani when they affiliated to the Syrian way of preaching & they concentrated themselves in villages near the areas at the foothills of the mountains where they did farming for subsistence. The village of Thumpamon became the ...