Jew Town, Mattancherry

Jew Town is a historic street in Mattancherry, Kochi, named after the Jewish community that lived and traded here for more than four centuries. Jew Town leads to the Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568, and its old buildings, many of them former homes and godowns, recall the time when Kochi was one of the great spice ports of the Indian Ocean.

The Jews of Kochi settled in Mattancherry in the 16th century under the protection of the Raja of Kochi, whose palace stands nearby, and Jew Town grew into a trading street of merchants dealing in pepper, ginger and other spices. Most of the community emigrated to Israel in the years after 1948, and today only a handful of Jewish residents remain. The lane is now filled with antique shops, handicraft stores, small cafes and spice sellers, while the wholesale spice trade still works from the warehouses of nearby Bazaar Road.

What to see

• The Paradesi Synagogue and its clock tower at the end of the lane
• Antique shops selling carved doors, old furniture, brass lamps and curios
• Spice shops and the smell of pepper, ginger and cardamom from old godowns
• Mattancherry Palace, also called the Dutch Palace, with its Kerala murals
• Street art and cafes in the old warehouses of Mattancherry

What to wear

Jew Town is hot and humid, so light cotton, a hat and water are the essentials, with an umbrella from June to September. If you plan to visit the Paradesi Synagogue, cover shoulders and knees and wear sandals that are easy to remove, as you enter barefoot. Mattancherry Palace also expects modest clothes. Kerala's traditional dress is the off-white kasavu saree and the white mundu, and handloom versions are sold in the textile shops here.

Local food to try

Jew Town's cafes serve cakes, fresh juices and light Kerala lunches, and Mattancherry's Muslim quarter nearby is known for Malabar biryani, pathiri and beef fry, with halal food easy to find. Kochi staples such as appam with stew, fish moilee and karimeen pollichathu are served across the area. Buy black pepper, cardamom and cloves from the spice shops, often at better prices than elsewhere in Kochi.

Good to know

• Best time: October to March, in the morning or late afternoon
• Shops open daily, roughly mid-morning to early evening; the synagogue is closed on Fridays and Saturdays
• Free to walk; bargaining is normal in antique shops
• Allow one to two hours with the synagogue and palace
• In Mattancherry, about 3 km from Fort Kochi beach by auto-rickshaw
• Check export rules before buying real antiques over 100 years old

Nearby places

Jew Town ends at the Paradesi Synagogue. From there it is a short auto-rickshaw ride back to Fort Kochi's Chinese Fishing Nets and Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica.