The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Eid
Mubarak!!
On the
occasion of Eid, I take a break from my Fort Kochi posts to bring you something
special, just for this occasion – an account of my visit to the first ever
mosque to be built in India!
We
frequently associate Islam in India with the advent of the Mughals. While this may be true of the
northern parts of the country, Islam came much earlier to South India, as early
as the seventh century, during the life of Prophet Muhammad!
The
story goes back in time, to the days when present day Kodungallur in Kerala was part of Muziris
– the most well-known port in India. Though the history of Muziris goes way
back, to 400 BC, this story begins during the reign of Cheraman Perumal,
somewhere around 600AD. (Digressing slightly, the Perumals are believed to be
governors or rulers under the Cheras, and thus Cheraman Perumal was a common
title for many of the rulers, and thus the same name appears for various such
succeeding governors).
This
particular Cheraman Perumal had a dream, in which he saw the moon being split into two halves at
the horizon. As was usual then, he consulted his court astrologers, but they
weren’t able to offer him a satisfactory explanation. Around that time, an Arab
ship docked at the port, and the traders came to the court to offer their
respects to the King, who mentioned his dream to them. The Arab traders told the
king about Prophet Muhammad’s miracle of the Splitting of the Moon, and the
king was convinced that this was a divine message. He decided to set off at
once for Mecca, handing over the reign to his children and other chieftains.
It is
said that the king sailed to Mecca, met the Prophet, and converted to Islam,
becoming the first Indian to do so. Besides, he decided to spread the word back
in his homeland, and started on his return journey. However, he was not to set
foot on his native land again. He fell ill during the journey and died near
present day Oman, but left behind detailed instructions for his descendants, in
the form of letters, which were brought back to Muziris by his companions.
Following
his instructions,
the first Mosque was built at Kodungallur in AD 629. Today, it appears to be a
typical mosque, with a domed ceiling and pillars, but the original structure
was quite different. It is believed that the land handed over for the mosque
originally contained a defunct Buddhist Vihara, and the mosque was built over
it in typical Kerala style, with tiled roofs and corridors like a temple. It was
only later, as the mosque underwent multiple renovations that it began to resemble
the mosque it is today. Interestingly, the core part of the mosque seems to
have been maintained well over the centuries, and it is said that this sanctum
still remains the same, even after a thousand and five hundred years!! Take a look at the Masjid website gallery for some beautiful photographs of the interiors.
When we
visited Cherai in
May this year, we had the mosque on our list of interesting places. However,
our hopes weren’t too high, since entry to many mosques is restricted. We learnt
later that this mosque is open to all (only men, though), and is quite secular
in nature, with many Hindus offering regular prayers here. We were
unfortunately, not blessed enough to get a glimpse of the inside, since we
turned up on a Friday, just in time for prayers, and therefore couldn’t enter
it. However, we could circumambulate it (along with many women, both Hindu and
Muslim), and most interestingly, visit the Museum, which holds some artifacts
from the original mosque.
 |
| Like most temples here, the masjid too has a pond behind! |
The museum is surely the best thing about this
mosque, since we know so little about it. The old photograph of the mosque
that I have posted is from here. Besides, the mosque also has a model of the
original structure, as well as some door frames and laterite bricks which once
formed a part of it.
There
are also a few interesting stone structures, like this one…
We
wondered what
it was, till a caretaker informed us this was part of the ancient drainage
system!!
The
Museum is just
being set up, though it is already open to the public. There are more artifacts
being restored, and more information being gathered to improve it, and I look forward
to visiting again, someday. Hopefully then, Shankar and Samhith can go see what
the inside of a mosque looks like!
Information:
- Location: The Cheraman Juma Masjid is located at Kodungallur, just 2 Km from the famous Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple. Interestingly, barely 5 Km away is the site where St. Thomas the Apostle landed, making this region an important one, for Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike!!
- Kodungallur is located 29 Km from Kochi and 38 Km from Thrissur.
Tips:
- Men of all religions are allowed to enter the mosque while women can only circumambulate it and pray from the outside. If you want to enter the mosque make sure you avoid prayer times and busy days.
- The museum is a must see. Ask the caretaker to take you around and explain, since there are no boards or labels for most of the artifacts. We were told that the museum was planning to have audio guides installed once the museum was complete, so try your luck the next time you are near Kochi!
- For more information, visit the Juma Masjid Website.
Awesome post, Anuradha. I have passed by this mosque numerous times but never visited it. I should definitely visit next time I pass by. Kodungallur is definitely a very important place for all the three religions.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Niranjan. I wanted to do a post with all the three places of worship, but the temple was closed, so didnt feel like writing that post. Maybe you can do that!
ReplyDeleteIt's so beautiful place and also thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteMr. Niranjan is right ...ther's also the kodungallur Bhagavathi temple AND A Church also ...dont remember the name
ReplyDeleteI have mentioned both in my post, Mr. Kamath, adn I visited the church too.. though i shall write about it in a different post soon.
DeleteI never knew of this mosque. Kodungallur is definitely a very important place to visit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I haven't traveled in south India much. This should be the start. :)
Nisha, you have travelled so much more than me, I am sure you will soon go see the southern parts of India too, very soon!!! but yes, you should def visit this part of the country. it has so many interesting things to see and do...
DeleteI never heard about this mosque before. Thanks for this post, very interesting and informative,
ReplyDeleteVery beautifully explained! Really enjoyed reading your travel to the mosque. Great to know that it is the first mosque in India. Thanks for sharing it with us
ReplyDelete