Mumbai's historic, second oldest Sephardic synagogue gets a facelift

Decorative interiors such as Victorian stained glass windows and rich Burmese teakwood furnishings have also been restored

Inside a narrow alleyway in a thriving art precinct in South Mumbai, the “blue temple”, as the locals call it, was always a head turner. Even though age and weather had taken their toll of it, it never failed to draw admiring glances and a regular trickle of tourists. Now newly renovated, the 135-year-old blue synagogue is a glamorous showstopper in an enviable lineup of heritage buildings in Mumbai’s historic Fort neighbourhood.  

The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue was built in 1884 as a house of prayer for the powerful community of Baghdadi Jews in the city. It is the second oldest Sephardic synagogue in the city (the oldest one is at Masjid Bunder, also in South Mumbai). 

The synagogue was originally designed by one of the most well-known Bombay-based architectural firms of the time, Gostling and Morris, which is behind most of the neo-classical structures in the city. It was paid for by the Sassoon family, prominent Baghdadi Jews who controlled much of the trade and commerce in Mumbai at the time. Jacob Sassoon, son of Eliyahoo and grandson of David, whose name adorns the docks and a public library among other structures in the city, built it as a place of prayer for his community.

The restoration was a collaborative effort between the JSW Group, Sir Jacob Sassoon & Allied Trust, Kala Ghoda Association and the World Monument Fund. “The biggest challenge was to find a sponsor. It took almost 10 years to find one as there are no government policies that support privately owned buildings like this one,” says Abha Narain Lambah, architect for the restoration project.

Inside the newly restored synagogue | Photo: Kamlesh Pednekar

Built in the classical revival style, the synagogue’s original Minton tile floors that were imported from Stoke-on-Trent in England have been restored. Other glossier decorative interiors such as Victorian stained glass windows and rich Burmese teakwood furnishings and staircase have also been restored and the glass segregation panels have been put in place to mark out the spaces for men and women in the prayer hall. 

The project cost Rs 5 crore with most of the funds coming from Sangita Jindal-led JSW Foundation. While Lambah served as the principal conservation architect for the project, stained glass expert Swati Chandgadkar restored the stained glass panels. Several of the synagogue’s original religious symbols such as the grape vines, citron fruit and Star of David, among others, which had been obscured by layers of blue paint, have also been resurrected. Like all ancient religions, Judaism is rich in symbolism and ritualistic in nature, and a project of this nature had to take into account the old practices and belief systems every step of the way.

Inside the newly restored synagogue | Photo: Kamlesh Pednekar

The JSW Group went against the tide by signing up for the restoration project. But the group saw the structure as an important cultural landmark of the city rather than a structure associated with one religion. “We feel very proud that we have a small jewel in our city. This is not just an architectural restoration but a way of saying that we are all one,” says Jindal.

Money was not the only challenge. The team of restorers had to scrape through layers of paint to look for the original colours, undertake roof repairs and terrace waterproofing and make other such changes while ensuring that the structure stayed strong. “That was a lot of R&D for everyone. The paints team would come to us (architects) and create new shades to match those on the wall. Matching the shades exactly was a challenge,” says Lambah. In some instances, Lambah’s team had to rely on people’s memories to get the shades right. 

For the synagogue’s façade, which is an indigo blue tinged with white, they met with locals of a certain vintage who remembered what it all looked like once upon a time. “As people called it the blue synagogue, we held a session outside this building and decided on the shade for the structure,” says Lambah. The sky blue façade has now been painted in white and indigo.

The synagogue, which opened earlier this week, is a significant cultural and religious hotspot. Since the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai, as its security became a matter of concern, an armoured police vehicle was stationed outside it permanently.

A secular place of worship, it allows people of all faiths to visit and pray here. All they need is a photo ID.