Chempittapally (Bengali:চেম্পিত্তাপল্লী মসজিদ,romanized: Chempitta Palli,lit.'Bronze Mosque';[1][2]Arabic:مسجد شمبتابالي), also known asChembitta Palli and asChembittapally Juma Masjid, is aSifiFriday mosque in theMattancherry neighbourhood, inKochangadi, Kochi, in theErnakulam district of the state of Kerala, India.[3] Built between 1520 and 1540, the roof of the mosque was decorated with copper tiles, hencechempitta pally.[4] The mosque was built in theKerala-Islamic style, and is located within a heritage area,[5] near theMANI-listedMattancherry Palace.
The compound has three gates: one in the west which opens towardPanayapilly, the second in the south which opens toward Goldenmukku andKochangadi, and the main gate in the eastern side of compound, which opens toward Angadi, which in turn leads the way to Jew Street and Mattancherry Bazaar towards the north and to Chullickal towards the south. The graveyard near the gate towards the south houses a few old and important gravestones.
The support beams of the mosque are made of timber. Legend has it that a Jewish merchant who overheard theSufi saint Syed Mau Lana Bukhari Thangal reciting the Old Testament to his followers, decided to donate the timber for the construction of this mosque. There are Tamil and Arabic inscriptions right above the three doors which lead to the central prayer hall.
The mosque is intrinsically linked with the history of the Naina family.[5][6]
