Forgotten in a coconut field, an 800-year-old tombstone expands India's Jewish history
Thoufeek Zakriya, a Hebrew calligrapher and scholar of Indian Jewish history, translated the tombstone discovered in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu state, India. (Courtesy photo)
When coconut farmers in India’s Tamil Nadu state stumbled across a stone covered in strange inscriptions, it’s unlikely they expected it to be a groundbreaking find in Indian Jewish history.
However, the stone—a tombstone with Hebrew writing—has been identified as one of the oldest Jewish artifacts in India and has opened a window into a previously unknown community.
“This discovery might be leading to a new chapter,” Thoufeek Zakriya, a Hebrew calligrapher and scholar of Indian Jewish history who translated the stone, said in an interview.
