Mattancherry
Encyclopedia
Mattancherry is the western part of city of Kochi
, India
. It is said that the name Mattancherry is drawn from "Ancherry Mattam", a Namboodiri illam which then the foreign traders pronounced it as Matt-Ancherry, gradually became Mattancherry. It is about 9 km from Ernakulam town. There are frequent bus and boat services to Mattancherry from Ernakulam town. The boats start from Main Boat Jetty near Subash Park at Ernakulam.
Mattancherry is a part of Ernakulam
District
in Kerala
, India
.It is a tourist destination. It is surrounded by the backwaters of Arabian Sea
.Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present district.Mattancherry is populated by people from various walks of life and various parts of India & Abroad. There are people who have come and settled in Mattancherry from Goa
, Tamil Nadu
, Gujarat and so on.
Earlier Mattancherry was the trade link to Ernakulam. Main Trade was on spices such as pepper
and turmeric
. Tea
is also traded. Mattancherry deteriorated mainly since the porters working at various firms had some unaccounted trouble with the Merchants. Slowly the traders moved to Ernakulam as Mattancherry proved to be costly. Mattancherry is also home to the Paradesi Synagogue
(India's oldest functioning synagogue
, where the ticket-seller, Yaheh Hallegua
, is one of the youngest female Paradesi Jew)|, Mattancherry Palace
Museum,Mattacherry Pazhayannur Royal temple and Palliarakkavvu temple, Ram Mandir Gowd Saraswat Brahmin
samaj temples including the Venkatraman
temple
and a Jain's Temple (known as MahajanWadi to localites)and Mosques. Mattancherry Palace Museum hosts different weapons such as sword
s, spear
s and various other artilleries such as cannon used to protect the borders from invaders in the historic ages. The museum also hosts various paintings and murals. Near the museum, a private bus depot is also present. Close to the Bus Depot there is a Boat Jetty, where we get boats to Ernakulam, Fort Cochin and Willington Island. There is also Bazaar (Market) where we get to buy different spices and articles used interior decorations.
Mattancherry is famous for having "Jew Town" in its heart. This is a historical part of India, where the ancient Jews started their trading. This neighborhood is now famous for antique showrooms. Jew Palace and the Jewish synagogue are two famous landmarks.
Kochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is said that the name Mattancherry is drawn from "Ancherry Mattam", a Namboodiri illam which then the foreign traders pronounced it as Matt-Ancherry, gradually became Mattancherry. It is about 9 km from Ernakulam town. There are frequent bus and boat services to Mattancherry from Ernakulam town. The boats start from Main Boat Jetty near Subash Park at Ernakulam.
Tourist attraction
- Mattancherry PalaceMattancherry PalaceThe Mattancherry Palace, also known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala features Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.-History:...
(DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Palace), the famous Ginger Restaurant and Heritage Arts (the famous antique shope in Jew Town)
Mattancherry is a part of Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
District
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.It is a tourist destination. It is surrounded by the backwaters of Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
.Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present district.Mattancherry is populated by people from various walks of life and various parts of India & Abroad. There are people who have come and settled in Mattancherry from Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, Gujarat and so on.
Earlier Mattancherry was the trade link to Ernakulam. Main Trade was on spices such as pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
and turmeric
Turmeric
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia and needs temperatures between 20 °C and 30 °C and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive...
. Tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
is also traded. Mattancherry deteriorated mainly since the porters working at various firms had some unaccounted trouble with the Merchants. Slowly the traders moved to Ernakulam as Mattancherry proved to be costly. Mattancherry is also home to the Paradesi Synagogue
Paradesi Synagogue
The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin...
(India's oldest functioning synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, where the ticket-seller, Yaheh Hallegua
Yaheh Hallegua
Yaheh Hallegua is the youngest female Paradesi Jew in Cochin, Kerala, south India, and indeed the only Cochin Jew of childbearing age...
, is one of the youngest female Paradesi Jew)|, Mattancherry Palace
Mattancherry Palace
The Mattancherry Palace, also known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala features Kerala murals depicting Hindu temple art, portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi.-History:...
Museum,Mattacherry Pazhayannur Royal temple and Palliarakkavvu temple, Ram Mandir Gowd Saraswat Brahmin
Saraswat Brahmin
The Saraswats are a Brahmin caste of India.- History :According to the legend, Saraswat Brahmins are Brahmins who lived on the banks of the former Saraswati River that once flowed in northern India. Although it is said that at Prayag the three rivers meet or met.the fact is that the Saraswati never...
samaj temples including the Venkatraman
Venkatraman
Venkatraman may refer to*Venkatraman Radhakrishnan Space scientist*16215 Venkatraman Asteroid*Ganesh Venkatraman Tamil actor*R. Venkataraman Former President of India*Padma Venkatraman Indian children's writer*Venkataraman Subramanya Former Cricketer...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
and a Jain's Temple (known as MahajanWadi to localites)and Mosques. Mattancherry Palace Museum hosts different weapons such as sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s, spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
s and various other artilleries such as cannon used to protect the borders from invaders in the historic ages. The museum also hosts various paintings and murals. Near the museum, a private bus depot is also present. Close to the Bus Depot there is a Boat Jetty, where we get boats to Ernakulam, Fort Cochin and Willington Island. There is also Bazaar (Market) where we get to buy different spices and articles used interior decorations.
Mattancherry is famous for having "Jew Town" in its heart. This is a historical part of India, where the ancient Jews started their trading. This neighborhood is now famous for antique showrooms. Jew Palace and the Jewish synagogue are two famous landmarks.