Mattancherry- mosaic of global cultures through the lens of Biju Ibrahim ....

Courtesy webindia123

Mattancherry was a place I frequented passing through while I was doing my 10 std in high school and the Pre-degree days in Ernakulam, Kerala. My two aunties, uncles and cousins stayed in Fort Kochi and the bus from Ernakulam South to Fort Kochi essentially passed through Mattencherry. Be it a Gujarati marriage or festival, a Jain festival or monks procession, a Christian celebration or a Hindu temple festival, there was some occasion for the people of Mattancherry to celebrate their unity in diversity and uniqueness, an occasion to be kind and considerate to each other. This was what caught my attention of the place and people of Mattancherry.

Recently a friend of mine sent me this video (pl click here for the video)  of the glamour of Mattancherry. After watching it, it immediately aroused a thousand pictures of the place and took me easily 1000 years back to the times when our forefathers walked on the same sand that I too walked on. A very nostalgic feeling..

Never ever knew that 39 different communities from around India and the world live together harmoniously here in the 5 sq. km. area of Mattancherry in Kochi, Kerala. 

A big thanks to Biju Ibrahim for staying 2 years in Mattancherry to document the lives of the people, their culture and click this excellent video of the cultural mosaic of Mattancherry.. 🙏🙏🙏👍👍

Nostalgic to say the least !  Nowhere in the world do you get such a mosaic of culture.. I have passed thru Mattancherry streets many a time, but never knew so much of history and culture lay hidden there . 😇😇👌👌

A replica of this mosaic of multiple culture you also see at Alleppey beach and Mullakkal area .. I had the good opportunity to live in that area for two years and have friends from those communities too . 👌👌

Kochi and Alleppey grew in commercial prominence only after the great silting of Muziris port (muchiripattanam, present day Pattanakkad, Kodungaloor etc) in mid 1300 AD from the Periyar river .. 

Understanding history and how our forefathers lived and interacted with their contemporaries is indeed very gratifying and interesting to know ..

Pigeons in the Jain temple ..

Listen to Sarah Cohen, (click here for the video) the last Jew living in Mattancherry ..

The Dutch palace, built in 1555 by the Dutch and presented to the King of Kochi and the St George Orthodox Church to commemorate the Portuguese Papal  overlordship in Indian Christendom till 1652 AD are two incidents that are not mentioned in the video.

Most of these buildings have historical importance and some have been renovated of late, for example the Jain temple. The Dutch palace is in the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage site .. I can indeed say with great pride that the people of Mattencherry are the most caring and respectful of others faiths, beliefs and cultures and are indeed the most secular group of people not only from India, but of the whole world. 

George..