Cheraman Juma Masjid is a mosque in Kodungallur in the Indian state of Kerala. Probably constructed during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh), the bodies of some of his original followers are said to be buried here.
Since ancient times, trade relations between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent were active. Even before Islam had been established in Arabia, Arab traders visited the Malabar region, which was a major link between the ports of South and Southeast Asia. With the advent of Islam, the Arab merchants became carriers of the new religion and they propagated it wherever they went. Numerous Indians living in the
coastal areas of Kerala accepted the principles of the new religion and converted to Islam. King Rama Varma Kulashekhara is alleged to be the first convert to Islam in India.
A group of Sahaba (companions) visited Kodungallur. Cheraman Perumal (Rama Varma Kulashekhara), then the Chera ruler, had witnessed a miraculous happening — the sudden splitting of the moon, the
celebrated miracle of Muhammad — and learned on inquiry that this was a symbol of the coming of a Messenger of God from Arabia. Soon after, Perumal travelled to Makkah, where he embraced Islam, and accepted the name Thajudeen. On his way back to India he died at Salalah in the Sultanate of Oman. On his deathbed he is said to have authorised some of his Arab companions to go back to his kingdom to spread Islam. Accordingly, a group of Arabs led by Malik Bin Deenar and Malik bin Habib arrived in north Kerala, and constructed the Cheraman Juma Masjid at Kodungalloor.
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