TO SUGGEST INTERVENTIONS ON ANY 

DILAPIDATED, IN RUINS HISTORIC OR 

MODERN STRUCTURE OF YOUR CHOICE 

JEWISH CEMETERY, KOCHI

ARUNIMA M S ; AKARESH MADHU | ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION |22.10.2020

INTRODUCTION
Ernakulam district is located within the coastline of the Arabian Sea on
the west, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts in the south, Idukki
district in the east and Thrissur in the north. IKochi city consists of the
mainland Ernakulam, the islands of Willingdon, Bolgatty and Vypeen,
Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

"The cemetery, surrounded by compound walls on all four sides, lies

in an open space across from St. Teresa's College and Convent and a
newly constructed shopping mall. It is registered in the name of the
Kadavumbagham Synagogue and the Thekkumbhagam Synagogue.
Overgrowth of vines and weeds makes it almost impossible to locate
graves, although mounded areas probably indicate tombstones and
one is barely visible."

Here we are discussing the historic relevance, period through the

cemetery run along, the avoiding accepted by the cemetery and some
interventions that can be suggested for the future of the cemetery.

HISTORY
The cemetery is registered in the name of the Kadavumbhagam and
the Thekkumbhagam Synagogues of Ernakulam. If Ernakulam had a
Synagogue from 1200 AD, it is highly reasonable that the churchgoers
would also have maintained a cemetery from the same period. Nathan
Katz dates the cemetery to the 15th century, but an alternate opinion
assigns a much later date from the 18th century. Though the
authorities declared the cemetery full by late 1940s, it remained
operational for some more years before the burial stopped completely.

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Notable burials in the cemetery include that of Cochin born (1730)
Bene Israeli​ leader and the British East India Company’s Army
Commandant of the Sixth Battalion,​ Samuel Ezekiel Divekar​ (Samaji
Hasaji) and that of ​Abba Isaac Joffe​ (Hacham Abraham), a Rabbi of
Polish descent who came from Jerusalem. They had taken the initiative
and cleaned the cemetery a year back. Its betterment now depends on
government funds. Hence, the Corporation and health department are
helpless.

Due to its prime location in the rapidly expanding ernakulam city, this
cemetery has been the subject of periodic controversies. In the early
20th century, when st: teresa’s wanted to expand their premises by
using a portion of this cemetery, Jews protested and the Maharaja of
Cochin refused to let the spot be disturbed. This was once said bt
Sattu koder which he mentioned in the book ‘The Last Jews of Cochin’
that the Maharaja of Cochin overruled the viceroy’s decision to allow
the Jewish cemetery of Ernakulam to be handed over to the Municipal
Corporation for a development project.

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Similarly, when the viceroy Lord Willingdon and his wife visited Kochi
in 1930, it is said that Lady Willingdon was approached by the St:
Teresa’s authorities to discuss the spookiness of the place that haunted
their students. As a result, the Diwan of Cochin was asked to stop
further Jewish burials in the old cemetery and allotted a new plot for
Jews.

ABOUT THE STRUCTURE AND AREA

In the heart of Ernakulam city, approximately 500 meters south of

“Kavumbhagam synagogue” is an old malabari jewish cemetery as
shown in the map below. The cemetery is located near ‘convent
junction’ in a 1.96 acre square shaped land surrounded by st teresa's
college in the west, esplanade shopping mall in the east, Lt unniyattil
karunakaran road in the south and st teresa's high school in the north.
although the plot is in prime location of the city, the situation of the
graveyard, at least in early 2011, was so pathetic that it could have been
easily mistaken for a wasteland or a garbage disposal area. Upon
careful identification, we could find tombs in the midst of the thick
vegetation.

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 map 01 : jewish monument of ernakulam

map 02 :the old jewish cemetery of ernakulam

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The entrance to the walled cemetery is only via a small opening at the
northern corner of the not so impressive Esplanade shopping complex.
Ever since the rusted gate at the entrance was stolen by rag-pickers,
the graveyard has literally turned into a dumping yard and a breeding
yard for mosquitoes, rats and snakes. Sadly, the cemetery and its
premises also become a hub for illegal activities and a hide out for
anti-social elements in the dark. Today, at the entrance of the
cemetery is a billboard advertising a perfume brand, beneath which
mounds of smelly garbage blocks the way. The unwelcoming entrance
and heavy vegetation change my plan to get inside and have a better
view of the tombs. Instead, I decided to have an overall view of the
cemetery from the topmost floor of the Esplanade shopping complex.
Some of the following photographs I had taken from the 5th floor of
the same complex.

fig 01 :the entrance of the cemetery

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 fig 02 :jewish cemetery view from the top

PRESENT CONDITIONS
(source: the new indian express: last update : 2​ 6th February 2018 03:39 AM)​
The long-ignored, two-century-old Jewish cemetery on Market Road in
Marine Drive is all set to be preserved and recast. Nearly all the tombs
on the heritage site are in a partially destroyed state and the property
had turned into a dumping ground. The Archaeological Department is
documenting the tombs and collecting as much data as possible about
the site. It was mentioned the need to do manual excavation for the
preservation process and rebuild the walls, put in a watchman’s cabin
and add lights to make sure the place is well kept. Conservation plans
are also being looked into.
The site was visited by the Archaeological Department officers along
with Ernakulam MLA Hibi Eden and members of the Jewish
community. The descendants of the Jews who left Kerala long ago were
also present. They had been visiting the tomb from time to time. They

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have been trying to do something about the tomb and its protection
and Finally was able to get some funds for its preservation.
The place will be a heritage site and given due respect and hopefully
will find a place in the tourist map soon. A total of 41 graves have been
located of which only six are in good condition. Recasting works will
begin as soon as the land is cleared. It was mentioned then, that the
preservation work will be done as soon as possible and the place will
remain a part of history future generations can see.

fig 03; Hibi Eden MLA, members of the Archaeological Department and Jewish
community visiting the Jewish Cemetery near St Teresa’s College in Kochi

The Jewish cemetery in the middle of the city has been neglected for
many years. One of the few remnants of the city’s historic ties with the
Jewish community, the cemetery has been invaded by creepers, shrubs
and reptiles.

The authorities are least concerned about preserving the one-acre plot
and its 47 tombs and placing it on Kochi’s tourism map.
The 200-year-old cemetery on Market Road has become a nightmare to
nearby shops and St Teresa’s Convent Girls Higher Secondary School
as it is infested with snakes. Due to the dense foliage, the plot has

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become a haven for snakes. Many people used to dump waste in the
cemetery. When it was cleaned 10 months ago, workers found a
python. For fear of snakes, many of us are reluctant to use the bylane
adjacent to the cemetery.

The Archaeology Department’s project to develop the area with the

support of former legislator Hibi Eden hasn’t materialised yet.
The neighbouring people had cleared the bushes and waste materials
from the cemetery and started preparatory works for the excavation.
Out of 47 tombs, only six are in good condition and the rest need to be
renovated without losing its heritage qualities. Without citing any
reason, the Archeology Department stopped the work.
The plan was to transform the area into a tourism spot with necessary
renovation work.
Apart from paving tiles on the entire plot, it was decided to construct a
pathway and watchman’s cabin. If it is added to the tourism circuit,

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the cemetery can generate income for the government. But the officials
concerned are not interested in the project.

It is not clear if a portion of ol cemetery was used while the Esplanade

shopping complex was built. Currently, the old Jewish cemetery of
Ernakulam is not functional and remains in a highly neglected state.
Neither the Kochi Corporation nor the caretakers of the cemetery take
any interest in the maintenance of the land.

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REFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHS

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THEORETICAL STUDY
Innovation in architecture is no doubt extremely important, but
preserving and restoring the old buildings is also important because
those old monuments are the reflection of our history, they help us to
understand and respect people who lived in different eras with
different habits and traditions. As well the existence of old monuments
will help us observe the changes in the societies for a better
understanding of the reasons that lead to the development of cities
and societies and even traditions to the current status. Old buildings
are the face of cities; they reflect the changes that happened in a city
over time, they reflect conflicts, wars, and the prosperity of society, it
even reflects the economic condition of the city over time.

Though building new buildings are simpler, and cheaper than

preserving the old buildings, there are many benefits of maintaining
and keeping heritage buildings of our cities intact, of those benefits the
following:

● With respect to tourism, maintaining and saving Architectural

monuments attract tourists, especially people who like to
experience the “spirit” of the city, which is seen through
architecture. As well when old buildings attract tourists, that
will definitely create more jobs for locals, and help in
improving the economic prosperity of the city, therefore
maintaining historical buildings provides workplaces for local
people and experts from other counties.
● With respect to culture, old buildings help us to understand
the history that occurred before we were born and promotes
the respect for those who lived in prior times and different
traditions. Preservation of old monuments plays an important
cultural role in cultivating pride in our heritage and past
making us unique in the world. Cairo is known for the
pyramids, and Paris is known for the Eiffel tower, while

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 London is known for the Big Ben and etc. Historical buildings
bring character and charm to the neighborhood that people
live in.
● With respect to the environment, despite the fact that building
new green buildings that save energy is important, restoring
old buildings is environmentally friendly as well, and can
simply become green. As well, preserving old buildings can be
considered a form of recycling, which reduces construction
waste, saves energy spent on manufacturing building materials,
tools and equipment and transporting them.

Restoring buildings requires more knowledge and skills more than

those required to construct simple buildings.

SUGGESTED INTERVENTIONS
From the above studies, we come to know that the site is in a
dilapidated condition and hence the necessity for conservation is very
important. Since the entire site is found unattended, there are a huge
lot of the strategies to be noted.

Firstly, we get to identify the values in the cemetery. The relevance of

the structure for conservations is very relevant from its historical
study. it has a very noting historical importance which would help in
tourism and also serves as a part of the archaeological structure
bringing in its age and cultural values. The can get functional, social,
and ethnic only if it is preserved and gets its earlier identity.

● the entire area is filled with foliage which has to be chopped off
and has to be brought to the original condition. also the cleaning
process has got two relevances-one, it brings in the old historic
relevance of the cemetery and second, the fear of snakes and
other creatures for the neighbouring people would be saved. It's

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 been seen that people tend to refuse walking through that side
road out of fear.
● PRESERVATION : Cultural identity can be regained only if its
been preserved by carrying out the necssraing repairs. huge
damage is being done or witnessed due to the over foliaged area
procured without being preserved.
● PREVENTION OF DETERIORATION : the environment needs to
be controlled wherein proper maintenance have to be carried out
duly. The major step towards prevention is by starting to give
inspection very frequently and keeping it on track.
● CONSOLIDATION : the tombs are destroyed very badLy and
only few remains are found.hence, the rest can be mitigated by
providing any additional need. either new materials or the ones
that had already been used can be used.
● RESTORATION : If so the materials used to restore the cemetery
are the original ones that had been used to construct the
cemetery in the past, of course then the originality and liveliness
of its historical purity can be witnessed in the future with many
preservation strategies.
● Several attempts to regain the earlier condition was mitigated
and was in vain out of the poor maintenance of the officials. By
preserving the cemetery for just the purpose of history would be
satisfactory. But along with this strategery, if at all an initiative is
taken to rehabilitate a portion of it to construct a church or some
religious or activity oriented space, then it would serve further
purpose and identity to the area.Also, with the tourist attracted
space and this area comes in between the subash park and the
marine drive portion. With the advancing technology and urban
planning accomplishments, the remark of walkability factor can
be developed and this space will be frequently visited by the
people who come to that area. This facility in providing an
activity core in that area further serves the purpose of the jewish
cemetery.

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 ● The need for reproduction, rehabilitation and reconstruction
seems unnecessary in this situation. with the above mentioned
degrees of interventions, the site can definitely regain into its
original form and would further maintain as one among the
historical buildings as well as a famous tourist attraction that can
be added to the tourist maps.

CONCLUSION
The government's poor functioning is one among the reasons for this
dilapidated condition of such a historic evidential building which is a
major loss to the state. it could have been the best tourist spots like the
mattancherry dutch cemetery which is properly maintained and is seen
by the tourists every year. It has also helped in increasing the country's
revenue.

The mere overlook of the government officials turned the site into very
disappointing garbage wasteland. the one to be the tourist location has
turned out to be the garbage land due to the reckless functioning of
the government. if the archaeologist had continuously kept a track on
this site, it wouldn't have turned into such a condition.

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