Jootha From Madayi

Until recently, Muslim women in Madayi used to mock children who refused to go to the mosque for the Maghrib prayer. But they did not know the meaning of the word Janisa. Like many Arabic-Malayalam words that have been passed down orally for generations, it is considered a word. But today we know that it is a term referring to the synagogues of the ancient Jews. It also exists in Madayi as a term referring to hidden action. There are still relics that show the socio-cultural connection of the Jews in Madayi. The most important of these are the many wedding songs among the Muslims here. Surprisingly, many of these songs are related to songs collected from the southern part of Cochin, the main Jewish settlement, and from a Jewish woman associated with the Madayi family called 'Abjila' in 1876. The arrival of Jewish merchants and the present-day memory of the culture they built here is one of the highlights of the history of Madayi, which has lasted for more than two thousand years. From the 1st century to the 14th century A.D., the vast ports and maritime trade that existed here made Madayi a meeting place for immigrants from different countries. This led to the later development of a cultural community in Madayi that existed in different countries.

Historians and cultural critics alike wish that the Madayipara Conservation Committee should have existed thirty years ago. If so, the historical relics of modern prehistoric Madayi would remain there as a treasure. The growth and interests of the middle class that grew up as part of the Gulf exile, the apathy of the state, and the booming educational trade in recent times have eroded the historical relics of Madayi Rock. Historians have previously suggested that there was a Jewish settlement in Madayi. It is carved with a tail in a rectangular shape on the top of the Madayipara, pointing to the pool now known as the Jewish Pool. In addition to this, about 20 square wells come to Madayipara every day to learn about the Jewish settlements in Malabar and to explore the historical remnants of the migration, both local and foreign historians. But on the way back, their faces look very gloomy.

Atulan's mouse dynasty mentions the commercial ports that flourished in the vicinity of Madayi, as well as the rich sea trade: Kolapathana, Achalapattanam, the Marahi commercial center, a beautiful city inhabited by Buddhist and Jain monasteries, and the Payyanur song and dance group. The Jews were among those who arrived.

The Jews who came to India came from different countries at different times and settled here. They are considered Europeans, Iraqis, Manipuris, Marathi (Banu-Israelis) and Malabari Jews. Historian Dr. Wilson records that a large section of the Jews who immigrated to India came from Banu-Israel, Palestine and Yemen. Messi Porora C. Pive, who came to Malabar from Amsterdam in 1685 to study the Jews, records that the Jews came to Madayi in ancient times. PM, who studied the Jews of Malabar, said that this area was not exactly identified. Joshi is recording. During my earlier research, I came across some evidence of the presence of Jews in Srinathpuram, another important center of maritime trade in Malabar. The area where the archeological evidence was found has the place name "Jewish".

AD Some historians observe that the Jews migrated to Malabar after the destruction of the 2nd church in AD 70. Archaeological evidence, meanwhile, suggests that Madayi was considered the site of Roman overseas trade. This was followed by the migration of Arab Jews.

The earliest Jewish colonies in Madayi were located in the foothills near Madayipalli, which is now densely populated by Muslims. The construction of the mosque by Malik ibn Dinar and his group in the 9th century and the arrival of the Persian-style Muslim colonies by the Jews. They abandoned the foothills, which were their early settlements, and established settlements on the Madayi rock, southwest of Pazhayangadi. By the 11th century, the Jewish trade network was collapsing, with Arab Muslim traders gaining dominance in international trade. Dr. MGS, who studied the Jews of Malabar, Narayanan and P.M. Joshi also did not record any Jewish immigration to Madayi. At the same time, in 2002, German scholar Albert Franz conducted a study of the Jews in Madayi. Ophira Gamlel, a recent oncologist, has studied the presence of Hebrew in the language of Malayalam Jews who immigrated to Israel. It also mentions the Jews of Mata. In addition, for the past three years, the author and Dr. Dinesin Vadakiniyan have been working together to study the commercial, cultural, economic, and political relations of the Jews. When he arrived in Israel, "dangello among the Jews of Kerala" kutumbaperullavarum, (Madayi Family) has been included. Ophira Gamlel of the University of Munich, Germany, is conducting a study on their language, culture, and social relationships.

In a 16th-century Portuguese note written by Duarte Barbosa, it is stated that Marawi (Madayi) and the local Jews speak the vernacular because they have lived here for centuries. It is also said that indigenous customs and rituals that are part of marriage with indigenous women are intertwined in the life and culture of the Jews. Therefore, the Jews of Madayi initially used Judo-Arabic and later Malayalam-Jewish language as part of their interactions with the natives. Moreover, the wedding songs of the Jews derived from Madayi later blended with the wedding songs of the Muslims in Madayi. Of the 55 Muslim wedding songs collected by this author, 5 are Jewish wedding songs. Barbosa also notes in his travelogue that the Jews of Madayi are black. This indicates that a large section of the Jews who grew up through intermarriage and social and cultural interactions with the natives were subjected to religious conversion as part of the Portuguese religious and commercial policy. Ophira Gamle observes that colonial modernity has shaped the socio-cultural life of the Jews, the division between the rich and the poor, and the division between the upper and lower castes.

The Portuguese occupation was a time of severe testing for the Jews. The Portuguese saw the Jews as their enemies. They feared that the Jews would interfere with their trade interests. The religious attitude of the Portuguese and the Muslim-Jewish coexistence in Madayi must have led the Jews to convert to Islam. Evidence of this can be seen in the expression Janice given earlier in this article. The following is a wedding song from Ahigali, a Cochin Jewish family by the name of Madayi.

Cattera way to see it come to the height of
namitellameatta tamparaniccu
namakkeatearanuvam die
perippineaterum caraticcuvaccal
and called them to the parameter
ppearannayavatu
making yerasevine karekkane
said the price of the offsets are
the happiest and sell silver kanatavu

Attribution : Ophira Gamliel

I have got the following Judeo-Arabic Malayalam songs from Madayi.

The most pirisattal
the tip of the utayeavar
one Jehovah tunayale otippurappettu
so goes the song. All this indicates that the descendants of the Madayi Jews later converted to Islam, and that a section of the Madayi Jews still maintain their cultural and social heritage in Jerusalem.