India is home to some of the oldest and most architecturally distinctive synagogues in the world. Though many are no longer active due to the emigration of most of India’s Jewish population over the past century, the buildings themselves remain standing in cities and towns across the country, maintained by local communities, the Archaeological Survey of India, and the efforts of diaspora organizations. This guide maps the known synagogues of India by region.
Maharashtra: Mumbai and Beyond
Mumbai (formerly Bombay) has the highest concentration of synagogues in India, reflecting the long history of Bene Israel settlement on the Konkan coast and the later arrival of the Baghdadi Jewish community. The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in the Fort area was built in 1884 and is associated with the Baghdadi Jewish community. The Magen David Synagogue in Byculla, completed in 1861, is one of the most impressive in the city. The Sha’ar Harahamim (Magen Abraham) Synagogue in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, serves the dwindling Bene Israel community of that city and remains active.
Beyond Mumbai, Bene Israel synagogues can be found in Pune, Alibag, Panvel, Pen, Revdanda, and numerous smaller towns along the Konkan coast where communities settled over centuries. Many of these buildings date to the nineteenth century and carry inscriptions in Hebrew, Marathi, and sometimes Persian.
Kerala: The Cochin Synagogues
The Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi (Cochin), built in 1568 and rebuilt in 1664, is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. Located in the Mattancherry neighborhood of Kochi, it draws visitors from around the world and remains the spiritual center of the Cochin Jewish community, though only a handful of Jewish residents remain in Kochi today. The synagogue’s floor is famously tiled with hand-painted blue-and-white tiles imported from China in the eighteenth century, and its interior is lit by Belgian glass chandeliers and antique oil lamps.
The Kadavumbagam Synagogue and the Thekkumbagam Synagogue, which served the Malabari Jewish community, no longer function as places of worship, but their structures survive. The Paradesi Synagogue and its surrounding Jew Town area constitute one of the most visited heritage sites in Kerala.
West Bengal: Kolkata’s Baghdadi Heritage
Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) was the center of the Baghdadi Jewish community in India. At its peak in the early twentieth century, the community numbered over 5,000 and supported numerous synagogues, schools, and charities. The Beth El Synagogue, inaugurated in 1856, is the largest synagogue in South Asia and can seat over 1,000 people. The Neveh Shalome Synagogue and the Magen David Synagogue are also located in Kolkata. All three are now largely inactive due to the emigration of almost the entire community, but the buildings are maintained and can be visited.
Other States
Synagogues also exist in Pune, Panaji (Goa), and in the northeastern states where Bnei Menashe communities have established places of worship. The Bnei Menashe synagogues in Manipur and Mizoram reflect a different architectural tradition from the older synagogues of the west coast, incorporating local building styles alongside traditional Jewish ceremonial requirements.
A complete and regularly updated directory of Indian synagogues is maintained by the Jews of India community project and by organizations including the Jewish Agency for Israel.