International Association of Jewish
Genealogical Societies - Cemetery Project
INDIA
Much of the information on this page was provided by The British Association for
Cemeteries in South Asia (website now at:
http://www.bacsa.org.uk - July 2008).
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
http://www.amyisrael.co.il/asia/india/index.htm
[August 2000]
http://www.mindspring.com/~jaypsand/dispersed.htm
[August 2000]
http://www.haruth.com/AsianIndia.html
[August 2000]
Also click on India at
http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/comm_asia.html
[August 2005]
BP-210086 Weil, Shalva (Ed. by) : INDIA'S JEWISH HERITAGE : RITUAL, ART, AND LIFE-CYCLE, pp. 124, Illus. (Col.), Printed on Art Paper, Index, Size 32cm, 2002, $66.00. The book is about the Bene Israel of Maharashtra, the Cochin Jews of the Malabar coast, and the "Baghdadi" Jews in Bombay and Calcutta. [January 2003]
MILITARY BURIALS
Commonwealth War Graves Commission: http://www.cwgc.org/
"The Commission was established by Royal Charter in 1917
... to mark and maintain the graves of the members of the forces
of the Commonwealth who were killed in the two World Wars, to
build memorials to those who have no known grave and to keep
records and registers, including, after the Second World War, a
record of the Civilian War Dead." Name searchable from the site.
[March 2002]
-
- Main Office:
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
2 Marlow Road
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 7DX
United Kingdom
Tel: (01628) 634221
Fax: (01628) 771208
Telex: 847526 Comgra G
E-mail: casualty.enq@cwgc.org
THE CEMETERIES
GENERAL:
http://picasaweb.google.com/shapurkar has data on over 40 Jewish cemeteries
in India from Dr. Isaac Solomon and Harold Z Greenberg that they will upload to
the JOWBR. Source:
haroldzgreenberg@gmail.com [December 2008]
BOMBAY see Mumbai
BANGALORE:
- European Cemetery: Bangalore is located between
Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras (now Chennai) and was the capital
of Mysore Government in India. It was under British rule
from 1800 to 1947.
Two Jewish graves can be found in the European
Cemetery on Hosur Road, Bangalore:
The earliest belongs to M.
Horvitz, b. Australia in Runoleff, d. Bangalore on 20 June 1898.
Grave is facing East to West with headstone towards the West. The
headstone is engraved with writing in Hebrew. The grave is the
first one at the end of the central passage of the cemetery near
the gap in the wall leading to the second level of the cemetery
and is on the right hand side. The grave is made of granite stone
and is gray in color. I have taken a photo of it. You can access
under the heading "Soldiers graves from the Protestant Cemetery
Hosur Road No.1" at: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/9460.
The second grave belongs to Rose Hickey, d. on 9 February 1917, aged 48 years,
and is the last plot (Plot 5) and on the left side. The original location was
Plot No.5, Row No.1. A new row has been added so that the current location is
Plot No.5, Row No.2.
View Headstone
Source: Ronnie
Johnson, ronniebangalore@gmail.com [February
2006]
CALCUTTA, see Kolkata
CHENNAI: (formerly known as Madras),
located
in Tamil
Nadu Province.
-
UPDATE:
Person to contact about grave locations: Gershon Joshua at +91-984-122-2488, a
native of Ernakulaum, is currently taking care of the cemetery. He has one key.
The other is with a local woman who lives near the cemetery. Source: Rocky
Peltzman, Chennai
India
600 090. TELEPHONE NUMBER:( +91) 979-098-5429.
rockyp49@yahoo.com. I will be working in Chennai until end of March 2009.
[July 2008]
- Mint Street Burial Ground: [original name] Plots were
relocated to Kasimode and then to Lloyds Road in 1983.
Directions: Down Mount Road (renamed Anna Salai; still known by
Mount Rd.), the hwy crosses the city in a SW direction from Ft.
St. George in north. Pass St. Thomas' Mount to the airport &
city limits in South. Head E to Bay of Bengal. The 18th century
overgrown cemetery has a rusty iron gate in the walled enclosure.
Three of the oldest tombstones are Abendo Sardo, d. 1707, Abraham
Salomns d. 1745, and Salomon Franco d. 1763, all Portuguese Jews.
The most recent headstone is 1964. (possibly only 9 stones)
Source: Shemot June 1995, vol 3 no. 2; article by Sally
Solomon, member of JGS Great Britain.
- Source: http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos3-4/india.htm
: "This cemetery is on Lloyd's Road, a poor market area of the
road west of the Marina Fish Market, and contains stones moved
from the old Mint Street Cemetery (Isaac Abendana Sardo, Madras
Hebrew Merchant, d. 10 May 1709; Abraham Salomons, beloved
merchant etc., d. V June, MDCCXLV; Salomon Franco, Merchant from
Leghorn, d. 26 Yiar A.M 5523º). It is adjacent to the
Chinese cemetery and both cemeteries have clusters of vendors and
squatters with vegetables displayed on the road itself at the
entrances. Esther Cohen was buried here in l964 and Isaac
Joshua's wife Miriam in l998. The wall of the cemetery is in need
of repair and construction: some deteriorating base areas need to
be reconstructed and the intrusion of a tree growing into a
section of the wall needs to be dealt with; the wall itself needs
to be raised to match the height of the Chinese cemetery wall in
order to prevent intruders from climbing over. The gate of the
cemetery is rusted and insubstantial and needs to be replaced
with something more dignified. Guarded in the past with the help
of Walter Wolff (deceased) and Sally Solomon, now of London,
England, the cemetery is in the trusteeship of Isaac Joshua,
resident of Chennai member of the Thekkumbagham synagogue and
president of the Association of Kerala Jews." [October 2000]
- UPDATE:
"The Jewish cemetery, located off Lloyd's Road, is the last memorial to what was
once a significant Jewish presence in this city. A Jewish settlement first
established itself in Chennai (Madras) to export the diamonds of Golconda to
London. They lived in what is still called Coral Merchants' Street in northeast
George Town. ... and import in exchange from their fellow Jews' silver, rough
and polished coral and pearls. They lived in what is still called Coral
Merchants' Street in northeast George Town. By the late 18th Century, the trade
had died out with the Golconda vein spent and the last Jewish merchant to live
in the city, Moses de Castro, departing in 1786. In a 19th century coincidence,
another community associated with gems and jewellery moved into the street and
to this day, the Nattukottai Chettiars' town choultry is here. The Jews of
Madras had a synagogue and their cemetery next to it near the northern end of
Mint Street. When a school was built here in 1983, the tombstones were moved to
the `Jewish corner' in the Lloyd's Road cemetery. The tombstone of Jaques
(James) de Paiva, the first of the Jewish diamond merchants, was one of the four
in the Mint Street cemetery at the time of transfer. It, however, does not seem
to have made it to Lloyd's Road. The tombstones that did were of Solomon Franco
(1763) and Issac Sard (1709), both diamond merchants. The third survivor was the
tombstone of Esther Cohen (1964), perhaps the last burial at the old site. The
only burial in the new site has been of Eileen Joshua in 1997. Judging from
their names, those Jewish diamond merchants who lived and traded in Madras were
of Spanish and Portuguese origin. They were Sephardic Jews whose forefathers had
probably fled to Holland during the Inquisition. That was the time the White
Jews of Kerala too had first arrived in Cochin. If Armstrong plays in Cochin,
he'd find a synagogue but not too many worshippers to attend his performance. In
Madras, I hope, he'll get to meet the few Indian Jews who still call it home. He
might even get that key from one of them." Source:
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/30/stories/2002093000180300.htm
[July 2008]
CHENNAMANGALAM: Kerala State
http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos3-4/india.htm
has photo of synagogue and history. "Chennamangalam/Parur: The
surveyors were unable to uncover any tombs or markers, though
there may be some under heavy growth on the hillside area out
from Chennamangalam." [October 2000]
- This unnamed Jewish cemetery has a tombstone outside the
building dated 1269 and says Sarah, daughter of Israel. It is
said to have been brought from Kottapuram (now, Shingly) and
probably is the oldest Hebrew text in India. Jews moved here from
Cranganore in 1524. Source: the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia
(website now at: http://www.bacsa.org.uk
- July 2008).
COCHIN:
http://www.bh.org.il/Communities/Synagogue/Cochin.asp
[October 2000] http://www.bh.org.il/Communities/Archive/Cochin.asp
[October 2000]
"When a Cochin Jew died, a handful of earth from Anjuv was
placed in the coffin along with earth from Jerusalem" (Source: TV
Parasuram) from The British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (website
now at: http://www.bacsa.org.uk - July
2008).
- A few yards away from Synagogue Chennamangalam on Jew Street
is a small concrete pillar into which is inset the tombstone of
Sara Bat-Israel, dated 5336 (1576). Source: The Jewish Travel
Guide . London: Jewish Chronicle, 1992. Source: Bernard
Kouchel koosh@worldnet.att.net
- Veli CSI Cemetery: This White Jews' Cemetery
originally excluded Black Jews. The liberal Gandhain mood in 1930s, plus fact
that their cemetery was full, allowed Black Jews to use the cemetery, but only
in the area against the wall. This was later relaxed. Source: The British
Association for Cemeteries in South Asia (website now at:
http://www.bacsa.org.uk - July 2008)
ERNAKULAM:
Also, see MALA. http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos3-4/india.htm
has photos and history. "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."
[October 2000]
- Old Cemetery:
- New Cemetery: http://www.isjm.org/Links/india.htm
: Source is Survey of Jewish Monuments in India. "Recently [late
1990s] the Malabari Cemetery at Mattancheri was vandalized and
encroached upon - all the tombs except one were destroyed and
houses were built on the site. Two years ago there was a similar
attempt to destroy the old cemetery of Ernakulam which was only
turned back by the Jewish Community with great effort. There is
now a concerted effort by the Corporation of Cochin to acquire a
portion of the new Cemetery in Ernakulam to allow construction of
a road."
http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos1-2/kerala.htm
has photo. [October 2000]
GHOSALA: see VirjoliKADAVUMBAGAM:
- In Kadavumbagam, cemetery (?) tomb of Nehemiah ben Abraham
Motha, a Yemeni who died in 1615 is still venerated. Another
place says the Kadavumbagam cemetery was abandoned in the 1950s when the
congregation emigrated to Israel. Source: The British Association for Cemeteries
in South Asia, (website now at:
http://www.bacsa.org.uk - July 2008).
KOLKATA (formerly known as Calcutta)
- At 24 U.C. Banerjee Road not far from the main cemetery at
Narkeldanga is a tiny [unnamed] private Jewish cemetery with a
few graves, which opened in the 1870s and closed after about
twenty years. Of the seven graves, of which two are infants, four
were identified and are included in the general Calcutta list
with the notation that the burials are in this cemetery. The
original part of the list prepared in 1954 by Rabbi Musleah had
first names, with no surname indicated. Esmond D. Ezra updated it
in 1984. He attempted to indicate last names where possible. Two
letters indicating the general area and then a number indicate
the grave locations. According to Esmond Ezra, some of the names
with no location listed died in the 1950s. Ezra also gave credit
to many, who helped him create his list. This cemetery is located
beyond the Soorah Bridge, although it was incorrectly identified
as being on Kolutol St. and Harinbari Lane in some city
directories, but that is the Armenian Burial Ground. Because most
of the 3,000 names did NOT have a last name indicated, I used the
last name in the string of names (sometimes 10 or more!) as the
last name. It might be the last name of the father. Please use
the last name only knowing that it is used as a finding aid more
than definite name. The names were very different from most
western European names. It was not always even clear if a person
was male or female. The names were sent by Henry Brownrigg to Alec Shapiro,
through the auspices of the British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia
(website now at: http://www.bacsa.org.uk
- July 2008).
- Main Cemetery: at Narkeldanga
KOTTAPURAM: (now Shingly) see CHENNAMANGALAM
MALA:
- "Marked as a Jewish cemetery with a clear sign over the
entrance gate in English and Malayalam, the site is protected by
the townspeople; a framed black sign inside the gate lists the
three trustees of the cemetery, from Chennamangalam and
Ernakulum, who deeded and handed over the cemetery to the Mala
Panchayat on April 1, 1955. There is currently no Jewish
community left in Mala. The cemetery is in two sections of land;
in the first, there were three tomb stones - two were in the
first section of open field, one was partly hidden under a cashew
tree. The second section - at least twice as large - lies beyond
the first on higher ground that is separated from the first by a
stone wall, has no graves or tombstones. A court edict, brought
about by petition from the Ernakulum Jewish community, has kept
the town from using this spacious part of the cemetery area for a
soccer/play field. The cemetery is located in a central
residential area of Mala and is flanked on either side by
attractive residences." Source: http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos3-4/india.htm
[October 2000]
MADRAS: see Chennai
MATTANCHERI: Cochin State
- Malabari Cemetery at Mattancheri: http://www.isjm.org/Links/india.htm
: (Survey of Jewish Monuments in India) "Recently [late 1990s]
the Malabari Cemetery at Mattancheri was vandalized and
encroached upon - all the tombs except one were destroyed and
houses were built on the site. Two years ago there was a similar
attempt to destroy the old cemetery of Ernakulam which was only
turned back by the Jewish Community with great effort. There is
now a concerted effort by the Corporation of Cochin to acquire a
portion of the new Cemetery in Ernakulam to allow construction of
a road." [August 2000]
Also see http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos1-2/kerala.htm
.
"Little is left of the Malabari cemetery in Mattancherry,
now located in the compound of a (non-Jewish) family house. It
consists of a collection of gravestones set within a tomb-shaped
concrete structure about 6'x 8', used by the family to spread out
wet mats or other items to dry. This compound is on the corner of
the Brown Jews' Cemetery St. and the side road that leads to the
tomb of Nehemiah Ben Abraham, a revered local prophet whose tomb
(early 17th century) - the last intact and well maintained
remnant of the oldest Jewish cemetery in Cochin - brings
worshippers of all religions to pay their respects." Source: http://www.isjm.org/jhr/IInos3-4/india.htm
[October 2000]
MUMBAI: (formerly known as Bombay)
Council of Indian Jewry
c/o The Jewish Club
Jerro Bldg., 2nd floor
137 Mahatma Gandhi Road
Mumbai 400 023.
Tel. 91 22 270 461, Fax. 91 22 274 129.
Source:
http://www.amyisrael.co.il/asia/india/index.htm
[October 2000]
http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/index.html
http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/10/m1.htm
: Baghdadi Synagogues in Bombay and Poona by Rachel Manasseh, London [October 2000]
- Bene Israel Cemeteries: on Mazagaon Road, Grant Road
and Haines Road.
- Iraqi cemetery is at Deslile Road. (See below for source ?
[SIC])
NEW DELHI:
"Adjoining the synagogue, all tombstones face west toward
Jerusalem. Bombay and New Delhi." Source: Freedman, Warren.
World Guide for the Jewish Traveler . NY: E.P. Dutton Inc,
1984. Extracted by Bernard Kouchel; koosh@worldnet.att.net [March
1994].
POONA: see under Mumbai
- "David Sassoon's Poona home, where he died in 1864 much
mourned by Jews and Indians alike, was across the street from the
synagogue. His sons buried him in the synagogue grounds in a fine
mausoleum. The synagogue and mausoleum were visited by the
President of India, Dr. Zakir Hussein, at a special Memorial
Service on 10 December 1968, on the occasion of the Centenary
celebration of the Sassoon General Hospitals in Poona established
by the Sassoons." Source: http://www.babylonjewry.org.il/new/english/nehardea/10/m1.htm"
[October 2000]
PARUR: see Chennamangalam
SATAMBA: see Virjoli
SHINGLY: formerly KOTTAPURAM, see CHENNAMANGALAM
THANE:
- "A centuries old Jewish cemetery with gravestones bearing
Hebrew inscriptions has been discovered recently in Thane, near
Bombay. The old cemetery, very near to a currently active one,
was discovered during a road-widening project undertaken by
municipal authorities." Source: Dateline World Jewry , May
1999. World Jewish Congress, 501 Madison Ave., NY, NY 10022
VIRJOLI: (formerly called Satamba)
- Formerly in the Kolaba District, the Satamba (Virjoli)
cemetery now is in the Raigad district. The site is between
Ghosala and Virjoli (Satamba), Roha Taluka, Raigad District,
State. A double cemetery, one part for the Satamker family and
the other for the Ghosalker family. As all the members of these
two families left their villages, the cemeteries are left
unattended and in a few years nothing will remain of them. I
would be grateful to those who could take pictures of the graves
and send me a copy. Source: Ch. Levi Alvares (member of the
Indian Synagogue in Kyriat Gat, Israel). "Mas Bertounet", 26120
Montmeyran, (Drome) France. Email: MXSLA@hotmail.com UPDATE: Formerly in the
Kolaba District, the Satamba (Virjoli) cemetery now is in the
Raigad district. The site is between Ghosala and Virjoli
(Satamba), Roha Taluka, Raigad District, State of Maharshtra,
India. Source: Ch. Levi Alvares at MXSLA@hotmail.com
All individuals involved in the creation of this project are volunteers.
The right to make one copy for personal use with full citation is hereby granted;
however, no profit is to be made from the use of this website's information.
No reply will be made to inquiries about specific burials. All information that we possess is on the website. We have no other information so please do not write requesting any on either burial sites or individual burials.
Revised Wednesday February 18 2009