India's Southern India
Paradesi Synagogue
Harbored at the end of a narrow lane in Jew Town, find India’s oldest synagogue. Beneath its tiled roof and clock tower find ancient gold and silver Torah scrolls, numerous hanging oil lamps and an exquisitely crafted brass pulpit. When the first Jewish settlers reached Kodunallur in the 1st century, the Paradesi Synagogue proved a welcoming sight, just as does today to the many visitors explore its walls.
Nearby find a varied example of India’s early architecture at the St. Francis Church. One of India’s earliest European churches, the St. Francis Church displays the façade that would later become the template for many structures thereafter.
