What is Janhvi Kapoor doing in Kochi's Jew Street?

Bollywood starlet Janhvi Kapoor recently visited the old city of Kochi, and the pictures and videos of the trip are already viral on social media. The actress, who is in Kerala to shoot for the romantic comedy Param Sundari opposite Sidharth Malhotra, took some time out to visit the iconic spots in Kochi. Interestingly, Janhvi essays the role of a Malayali artist in the movie. Meanwhile, Janhvi’s father Boney Kapoor commented, “Enjoying the Kerala trip, aren’t you?” The actress, who visited the iconic Jew Street and the Sri Poornathrayeesa temple, was accompanied by Malayali actor Roshan Mathew. Roshan played a pivotal role in the Bollywood thriller Ulajh, in which Janhvi took the lead role.

Jew Street is a cultural haven in Kochi where you can witness history in all its glory. The place got its name after the Jews settled here in 1524. This street has many antique stores that sell beautiful paintings, rare statues, and artefacts that could date back to decades ago. Moreover, your nostrils get excited by the invigorating aroma of the cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon from the countless spice shops here.

The street is lined with antique shops, spice stores and art kiosks on both sides, leading to the scintillating synagogue. Walking around this street is quite an experience, enjoying its historical significance or purchasing rare furniture pieces or ornaments from the street shops. Only pedestrians are allowed in some parts of the street where vehicles are restricted. Moreover, most of the shops in the street are still owned by the Jews. Meanwhile, the synagogue in Mattancherry is one of the oldest in the world. You could enter the synagogue every day from 5 am to 9 pm.

Sri Poornathrayeesa temple
Sri Poornathrayeesa temple in Thripunithura, Ernakulam, is a unique temple where the most number of festivals are celebrated annually. The idol of Lord Vishnu assumes the form of Santhana Gopala Moorthy here. Elephants adorned in all its fineries are paraded for the holy processions in the morning and evening during the festival days. Meanwhile, the festival during the Malayalam month of Vrishchikam is special. The flag hoisting ceremony is observed every year on the day of Chothi in Vrishchikam. The annual gala ends on a celebratory note with a pious aarattu ritual on the Thiruvonam day.

The grand procession comprising 15 elephants is the highlight of the main day of the Vrishchikam festival. The elephants are adorned in new and elaborate fineries before the processions in the morning and evening. Meanwhile, it is believed that attending the darshan on the day of the Thriketta festival is tantamount to viewing the idol throughout the year. Unlike other temples, the fireworks display isn’t a major event here. Instead, melam (percussion orchestra) lovers from around Kerala gather at the temple to enjoy the mesmerizing pancharimelam performed by renowned artists.

The Sri Poorthrayeesa temple, located around 10 kilometres from Ernakulam town, is one of the most visited temples in the district. Kalabham, chandacharthu, paal payasam, nivedyam, nirmalyam and chuttu vilakku are some of the rituals that are performed by the devotees as offerings.