The Cheraman Masjid, believed to be India's first mosque, is a testimony to religious tolerance and coexistence.
Cheraman Masjid in Kodungallur, believed to world's third and India's first mosque. (KA Shaji/South First)
Brass oil lamps are conventionally integral to Hindu rituals and worship. However, in Kodungallur in Kerala’s Thrissur district, an oil lamp is said to have been burning continuously for over a thousand years at a local masjid, believed to be the world’s third and India’s first centre of Islamic worship.
People of all faiths bring oil to keep the lamp flickering as an offering to this mosque, known as the Cheraman Masjid, underlining its secular standing in Kerala.
Kerala is demographically a state with many religious minorities, and if combined, Muslims and Christians constitute nearly half of its population. The mosque stands testimony to the state’s religious harmony.
Locals believe the mosque was established in 629 AD. For them, it is a symbol of hope and unity, especially during adversities.
The mosque’s appearance — baby blue with a coral tile roof, two minarets, and a spacious courtyard — belies its age. Though it has been subjected to several renovations over the centuries, the inner portions retain an old-world charm.
An active place of Islamic worship used daily by more than 700 devout Muslim residents of the area, it attracts Hindus and Christians as well. In recent years, it has witnessed a steady flow of visitors from within and outside the state.
According to a legend, Cheraman Perumal, the erstwhile ruler of Kodungallur, about an hour north of Kochi, once had a strange dream that the moon was splitting into two.
The next day, he shared the details of the dream with a few traders from Arabia, who interpreted it as a message from Prophet Mohammad.
Inside Cheraman Masjid. (KA Shaji/South First)
Cherman Perumal, it is said, travelled to Madinah soon after to meet the Prophet and then embraced Islam.
But he died while returning to Kodungallur and was buried in Salalah, Oman. Before dying, he told his travel companions, including Malik bin Dinar, to spread Islam’s message in his homeland.
Dinar came to Kerala and established the Cheraman Masjid and some other prominent mosques in the state.
In Kodungallur, the place where the mosque is located is called Cheraman Malik Nagar in honour of Perumal and Dinar.
The mosque, visited by hundreds daily, has seen some renovations over the years, but the original hall and internal structure have been preserved.
Eminent historian MGS Narayanan wrote in his book, Perumals of Kerala: Political and Social Conditions of Kerala Under the Chera Perumals of Makotai that there was no reason to disbelieve the claim that the last Chera king embraced Islam and went to Makkah.
The incident has been mentioned in several Muslim texts and old Hindu history books like Keralolpatti (The Origin of Kerala).
Cheraman Perumal went to Arabia and embraced Islam after meeting the Holy Prophet at Mecca.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 3, 2016
The mosque underwent a renovation funded by the government of Kerala to restore its original architectural idiom in the past two years. Now, the spruced-up mosque is attracting visitors from across India and outside. And what welcomes you to the mosque is the burning lamp.
The inner part of Cheraman Mosque. (KA Shaji/South First)
The centuries-old inner portions of the structure are in traditional Hindu architectural style. Exquisite carvings reflective the rich Hindu style prevalent in south India long ago are visible on the old rosewood mimbar (a platform used by a preacher in a mosque) from where the imam recites the Friday prayers.
Except for the white marble made available from Makkah, everything at the masjid has the look and feel of the local architecture.
The Kerala government has spent ₹1.13 crore to renovate the mosque, which involved removing some recently added structures that do not conform to the old mosque’s architecture.
An integral part of the ongoing Muziris heritage conservation effort, the restoration was in tune with the mosque’s original character and aesthetics.
The renovated mosque is now the topmost attraction among the various ancient monuments in Kodungallur, representing different stages in Kerala history.
The ancient port town has many old churches, temples, synagogues, and historical places, and they are still winning visitors’ curiosity.
Map of Muziris. (Official Website/muzirisheritage.org)
According to historians, Muziris is the ancient name of Kodungallur. It was the hub of commercial activity on the shores of the Arabian Sea for several centuries. It had maintained trade links with faraway places, especially Europe and West Asia.
A brainchild of former Kerala’s finance minister Dr TM Thomas Issac, the Muziris Heritage Conservation Project is attempting to revive and restore all these structures to espouse the cause of unity and amity.
The effort is to provide an ancient feel to the place, adding to its religious and tourism importance.
The Muziris Heritage Project stretches across seven panchayats of Kodungallur and adjacent Paravur. Once completed, it will have 27 museums and more than 50 sites of interest ranging from a spice museum to an excavation site.
In the first phase, two synagogues, abandoned by the Jews before they left for Israel after that country was formed in 1948, have been restored. They are now open to the public.
Given Kerala’s cosmopolitan character in general, the state government is hopeful that the renovated heritage project will spread a message of religious harmony to the entire country.
The mosque has a rectangular pond on one side. As per legend, the mosque was originally a Buddhist place of worship — hence the rectangular pond. Kunhikuttan Thampuran (1864-1913) — also known as the known as ‘Kerala Vyasa’ — opined that a defunct Buddhist ‘Vihaar’ was gifted to the nascent Muslims to construct the mosque there.
Traditional lamp inside the mosque. (KA Shaji/South First)
In the early centuries, Kodungallur was considered a settlement of traders. For centuries, it also stood as the gateway to India for varied cultures and races, emerging as a cradle of several civilizations. It remained a bustling port city until a massive flood submerged the region in 1341 AD.
Mohammad Sayeed, the mosque’s managing committee president, says tradition maintains that it was the first mosque in India and third globally.
Visitors can see many places of worship nearby. Hardly 50 metres away, you can see a Hindu temple. There are at least five churches in the vicinity.
Another historical attraction of the site is the Paravur Synagogue, one of the country’s oldest Jewish places of worship, 10 km away, and Kottakavu Church, one of the country’s earliest churches, 8 km away.
How did the celebrated religious harmony of Kodungallur evolve? Historians have only one answer: Black pepper.
Although black pepper is today found in kitchens worldwide, 3,000 years ago, traders undertook sea voyages to reach Muziris, the port town at the mouth of Periyar, the largest river of present-day Kerala.
They transported back black pepper and other spices. Egyptians, who reached here during King Solomon’s time (900 BC), are considered the earliest traders. Later, traders from Greece, Phoenicia, and Arab countries — pre-Islam and post-Islam — also arrived on these shores.
Historians confirm that the mosque had undergone a major physical change after it was partially demolished by the Portuguese in 1504. Portuguese invader Lopo Soares de Albergaria had attacked Kodungallur as part of an attempt to bring the west coast under control.
The existing old building was renovated sometime after the attack. Some modern corridors and walls were built in 1974. Extensions were added to the structure of the mosque in 1994 and 2001 to accommodate the increasing number of believers.
The 1974 extensions had concealed almost all of the old building’s exterior features. The current renovation has addressed that issue.
But the message this structure has been sending out is unaltered — social consonance can transcend religious dissonance.
People cutting across religions and social classes offer prayers at the mosque. This may be the only mosque in India with a distinct appearance, an amalgamation of a temple and a mosque.
As a mark of its respect for the local traditions, the masjid conducts the annual ceremony ‘Vidyarambham‘, the traditional Hindu practice of invoking the Hindu Goddess of knowledge Saraswati on Vijayadasami day to attract toddlers into the world of letters.
Usually, temples, educational institutions, and media organisations in Kerala conduct this ritual.
