The Jewish community in India dates back thousands of years. Here are five lesser-known facts concerning the role of Jews in India throughout history.
Marco Polo’s Visit
When Marco Polo visited India in 1293, he wrote of an unexpected encounter with Jews who had established a thriving settlement on the country’s southwestern coast in his notebooks. These early Jewish settlers were most likely derived from Yemeni Jewish tradesmen who were welcomed by the local prince in the 700s. A series of thousand-year-old engraved copper plates kept by the Jewish community today chronicle the welcome provided by the local ruler to one Joseph Raban, a Jew who settled in the area.
When the Jewish population in the nearby town of Cochin was threatened by raids from South Arabian and Portuguese invaders in the 1400s, the maharajah invited them to settle and even erect a synagogue next to the town’s Hindu temple. The exquisite synagogue – with blue and white tiles from China on the floor and a crystal chandelier from Holland – continues to serve the Jews of Cochin to this day.
Source: https://www.aish.com/jw/s/5-Fascinating-Facts-about-Jews-in-India.html
