Cheraman Juma Mosque

The Cheraman Juma Mosque stands on the Paravur–Kodungallur road in Kodungallur, Thrissur district. Tradition says Malik bin Dinar built it in 629 CE, which would make it the first mosque in India and the oldest still in use on the subcontinent, though many historians doubt this and date the building to the 14th or 15th century on grounds of style.

A legend links it to a Chera king who is said to have travelled to Arabia and become a Muslim; the historian M.G.S. Narayanan thought the tradition credible because it also appears in Hindu chronicles. The mosque is built in the traditional Kerala manner, following vastu principles, with hanging lamps inside. Halls and corridors added in 1984 hid much of the old exterior, and a dome and minarets from 1994 were taken down during a restoration completed in 2022.