Recently conserved heritage monuments in and around North Paravur and Kodungaloor are being preened for inauguration.
They are located in what is considered as Muziris. The ancient and once-thriving Muziris port is now part of antiquity. Experts are engaged in excavation work in the region to throw light on how the port was the epicentre of booming trade in the Indian Ocean region.
“We have sent an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the monuments that played a key role in moulding India’s history. Finishing touches are being given to 10 of the 26 monuments shortlisted in the area,” tourism sources said.
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A total of Rs. 98 crore has been spent so far on renovation work. While Rs. 42 crore was Central assistance, the rest was pooled in by Kerala Tourism (KT) and other State government agencies. More funds are required to renovate rest of the 26 monuments.
Kerala Tourism and other stakeholders hope to make good use of expertise and knowledge available with the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and UNESCO to probe deeper about the historical significance of the monuments.
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The monuments have been included in a tour package as part of Muziris heritage project. Unlike the situation in many other heritage locales, Muziris stakeholders have taken pains to educate, interpret and present the monuments to guests in a friendly atmosphere.
“Since commuting through narrow roads to each locale is tough, water taxis and hop-on- hop-off boats of Kerala Tourism will come in handy for ferrying tourists to locales, most of which are located near the waterway,” said conservation architect Benny Kuriakose who led the conservation works.
He said the ongoing excavation and conservation work were being done indigenously using funds from within India. Community participation in the project too has won much acclaim.
Currently, four museums are ready for inauguration – synagogues at Paravur and Chennamangalam; Paliam Palace and Paliam nalukkettu. Four more, acknowledging the societal contributions of freedom fighters, social reformers and journalists, are nearing completion. They are Kesari Balakrishna Pillai museum, Abdul Rahman Sahib museum, Sahodaran Ayyapan museum and Cheraman Juma Masjid museum.
Visitors may also visit sites such as Kottappuram fort, Pattanam excavation site, Kottappuram and Paravur markets and historic temples and churches.
Another two – the site and wharf museums of Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) — are expected to be ready in another three months.
KITCO is in charge of project management and execution.