Early morning is the best time to visit the Cheraman Juma Masjid in the Keralan town of Kodungallur. It is this time, as the mosque’s president assures us, that you can see pilgrims from all faiths arrive to offer their morning prayers.
Syncretism is irremovable from this mosque’s heritage – for, the mosque is visited by Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of every other faith.
The Official story of Cheraman Juma Masjid, the one inscribed on the Mosque, places it at 629 A.D. This would make it the oldest mosque in India – constructed while Prophet Muhammad was still alive.
(Image: 7MB) The mosque todayThere are many stories around how and when the mosque was commissioned – mostly based on oral histories. Each spans different kings, centuries and sometimes even religions. The most popular story is that the king of the Chera empire, Cheraman Perumal, was sitting in his palace at Kodungallur one evening when he observed that the moon had split.
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