The iconic old court building will soon serve as a heritage museum with a collection of artefacts dating back to the French era.
“The proposed museum in the old court building which is being renovated will be made as Indo-French museum that will preserve old books published in India, photos, documents, maps and dress materials used during the Indo-French period”, said A. Arivan, founder of Thazhi Foundation, an NGO devoted to preservation of history and heritage.
The Thazhi Foundation and the Indo-French Museum Project Committee day hosted World Museum Day celebrations to raise awareness of the cultural legacy of Puducherry and the imperative of preserving it for posterity.
Key landmark
Built in 1870, the Grade II A heritage structure is an important landmark in the city and forms part of an ensemble of important structures such as the old lighthouse, Customs House and French consulate on Goubert Avenue.
The two-storey building with load bearing masonry structure and lime mortar was used as a court of appeal and a law school. It was built on the site of Hotel De La Marine in 1766. Later it was the Hôtel Du Commandant Du Génie in 1788, and the Cour d’Appel from 1884 to 1955. It functioned as a court till 2008.
Intach’s role
Intach is guiding the restoration of the building into a law museum, replete with a library and conference-cum research hall on the ground floor.
Mr. Arivan also outlined the mandate of the Indo-French project which was focused on preserving old museums in the collaboration with the French Ministry of Culture and Law.
As part of sensitising the youth on the role of museums, the organisers held a seminar on ‘The Need for Museum, - Its Uses and Its Conservation Techniques’ for the fine arts students of of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
Students and teachers from Mamallapuram, Chennai and Kumbakonam government fine arts colleges, including Bharathidasan Fine Arts College, Puducherry came out with several ideas for developing museums and preserving it, said A. Arivan, who also leads Indo-French Museum Project. R. Carounagarane, president–Thazhi Foundation along with N. Sulaiman, Regional Assistant Director, Arts and Culture Department and Mathan, Conservator of Artefacts, stressed the need for museums and conservational techniques .
