"The first definite proof of the existence of a Jewish colony near Cranganore is, in the meantime, the Tamil charter of Bhaskara Ravivarman (978-1036 A.D.), a grant of lands and priviÂleges, written in the obsolete Vatteluttu script of ancient Tamil. Jewish, Muslim and Christian travel accounts of the twelfth and thirÂteenth centuries mention small Jewish settlements all along the Malabar coast, in towns such as Calicut, Quilon and Cranganore (Shingali), and at various places further north... The Jews of Malabar came to be divided in ‘White’ and ‘Black’ Jews and the latter were either the offspring of mixed marriages between Jews and Hindus or descendants of Hindus who had converted to JudaÂism.125 White Jews say that the Black Jews are descendants of the nuÂmerous slaves who were purchased and who converted to Judaism to be manumitted. The Black Jews themselves claim to be the descendants of the Israelites of the first captivity.126 However that may be, the main source of replenishment of the Malabar Jews still remained the Islamic Middle East."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Wink A Al-Hind, The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume 1 p 99-100ff
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_India
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
History of the Jews in India
The history of the Jews in India reaches back to ancient history. Judaism was one of the first foreign religions to arrive in India in recorded history. Indian Jews are a religious minority in India who have historically lived there without any instances of anti-Semitism from the local non-jewish majority.
16 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by History of the Jews in India →
Related Quotes
"Their Hindoo complexion, and their very imperfect resemblance to the European Jews, indicate that they have been deta…"
"Who is not curious as to how the Jews of India survived for so long in an atmosphere of tolerance when other Jewish c…"
"Jews navigated the eddies and shoals of Indian culture very well. They never experienced anti-Semitism or discriminat…"
"Indians Jews lived as all Jews should have been allowed to live: free, proud, observant, creative and prosperous, sel…"
"Hail Prosperity! This is the gift that His majesty, King of Kings, Sri Bhaskara Ravi Varman, who is to wield sceptre …"
"The question is all the more poignant when we consider that the idea of a Jewish-Brahmin connection was already quite…"
"As far as I have been able to discover these differences are usually caused by the Black Jews constantly pressing for…"
"Some very intelligent thinkers say that the brahmin sect is incontestably older that that of the Jews . . . they say …"
"Did they get this from the Jews? Did the Jews copy the Indians, were both original? The Jews are not allowed to think…"
"But only in the early Islamic caliphate the Jews began to develop an important ‘trade diaspora’, and it was only then…"