The Restored Cheraman Masjid - A Lesson in Heritage Conservation

Why should a mosque in Kerala have domes and minarets when it was the Arabian trade that brought Islam and not the Persians? How can we define Islamic architecture in Kerala? Is it possible to bring back the glory of Islamic architecture in Kerala?

Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kodungallur, Kerala, is the oldest mosque in India and was conserved by Benny Kuriakose and Associates as part of the Muziris Heritage Project. Apart from the renovation of the old mosque, an additional basement mosque is under construction, which will have the capacity to hold a lot more. The conservation was successful in recapturing the lost essence of Islamic architecture that was once prevalent throughout the region.

Dr. Benny Kuriakose's interaction with S. Gopalakrishnan, host of the Dilli Dali podcast, opens our eyes to the reality of our harmonious history, which embraced every ethnic community that once stepped foot on the land of Muziris. Dilli Dali is a Malayalam podcast channel on YouTube that reflects upon the political and cultural aspects of human existence and has elements of socio-politics, art, and philosophy. The interaction unravels the layers of eye-opening questions that arose during the conceptualization. It brings clarity to the transformation from a mere archival photograph to its current form.