Jains of Cochin

Kochi is an enchanted city intricately blending folklore with fact. Lured by the siren song of its spice-scented shores, it has been an El Dorado for innumerable travellers from distant lands. However, the secret of its wonder and allure is that while its roots lie deep in a fabled past, it has kept its finger on the pulse of today.

Kochi, earlier known as Cochin is built on several tiny peninsulas and islands. It is the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala, and has one of the finest natural harbours in the eastern world.

Nowhere in the world would you find a conglomeration of cultures and religions living side by side in total harmony. Cochin boasts of the oldest Synagogue in the Common Wealth Countries, the oldest church in India built by the Europeans, the first European township in India moreover Cochin port is one of the largest in India. Here, Vasco da Gama succeeded where Columbus failed, and found the fabled sea route to the Indies. Kochi's enormous, cantilevered Chinese fishing nets are a legacy bequeathed to the city by one of the very early visitors to the Malabar Coast, from the court of Kublai Khan.


Cochin referred, as the Venice of the east is the most cosmopolitan city in the state. Kerala is a land of temples, in fact once the only religion followed in this part of the world was Jainism. The many architectural remains throughout the state support this fact. The Cochin Shwetambar Murthipujak Jain Temple located in Mattancherry, of which the main idol of Shri Dharamnath (the 15th Tirthankar) is 1500 years old. The idol belongs to the era of Samprati Maharaja who is reputed to have installed millions of Jin Murthi in recorded History. The Jain population in Cochin though is minuscule it has played a significant part in shaping not only the city's trade and commerce, but contributed greatly towards an overall development in almost every field of human activity.