Kochi: The last day of the Kerala visit of Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla turned out to be the best day of their trip as the beauty of Mattancherry palace and the rich heritage of Jewish community in Kochi stole their hearts.
The royals reached Mattancherry from Kumarakom by 12 noon on Thursday and first visited the palace where they were welcomed by wall paintings and royal chariots.
It was the royal sword of the Kochi kingdom that attracted the Prince the most who also posed for a few photographs with it. They were gifted a painting of ‘Ananthashayanam’ by G.S. Narasimham, the south divisional director of Archaeological Survey of India.
Later, they moved on to the Jewish synagogue, the oldest in the Commonwealth nations, where they were received by Queenie Hallegua, the warden of Mattancherry synagogue. The couple went on to meet the 18 Jews, including the oldest member Sarah Cohen.
The clock tower, the room of paintings, the ancient scripts written in Hebrew, old Malayalam and Roman and the hand-drawn floor tiles literally stole the heart of the couple as they spent minutes admiring their beauty. Charles and Camilla also sat on the same seat which Queen Elizabeth II had used during her 1997 visit.
he royal couple also signed in the visitors’ diary in which the Queen and Lord Mountbatten had signed.After spending half an hour at the synagogue, the duo walked through the Jew Street under the hot sun.
The Prince was in a safari suit and the Duchess wore a beautiful cream gown. Hundreds had gathered on both sides of the street to have a glimpse of them and sing birthday wishes to the Prince. The two visited a couple of ancient Jewish shops in the street.
