Cochin, Jew Town: Paradesi Synagogue, in the heart of Jew town, is India's oldest Synagogue. Jewish settlers first arrived in India by the 1st century. Persecution by the Portuguese in the early 16th century forced them to relocate in Cochin, where they settled on land grant to them by the raja, who gave them copper plates to confer title ownership of land. The synagogue was originally built in 1568; and rebuilt with Dutch help in 1662. Wealth from the spice trade is expressed by the silver and gold Torahs, hanging oil an crystal lamps (many from Venice), brass pulpit, and hand-painted blue tiles from Canton. Jewish women would have sat upstairs, separate from the Jewish men downstairs. Only a few Jewish families still remain.