Muthanga log house back in business

Forest Department has renovated the colonial-era facility retaining its charm

A colonial-era log house, a historical monument of the Forest Department, at the ecotourism centre at Muthanga under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS), has got a new lease of life after renovation works.

The log house was built by the British during the first decade of the 20th century. Five such log houses were built in the forests at Begur, Tholpetty, Pakkom, and Muthanga in the district, and at Play Hut, a remote area on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border.

Three of these have outlived the passage of time, A. Asalatha, assistant warden, WWS, said.

During the British Raj, the Forest Department played a key role in northern Kerala and in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, supervising tribal welfare, health, and forest affairs in these areas.

The log houses were two-storey structures built on wooden pillars to ward off wild animals. The second floor of the structure was used for official purposes. They were used as the temporary office of the department to disburse salaries and other incentives to officials in Wayanad every quarter.

In those days, British officials reached Wayanad on horseback from Ooty, the then Forest Department headquarters, through Muthumalai in Tamil Nadu, Ms. Asalatha added.

The log house at Valiyamala, near Pakkom, the biggest among them, was the camp centre of the British officials during their visit to Wayanad.

Though the Forest Department launched a ₹3-crore project to renovate the dilapidated log house at Valiyamala in 2013, the Kerala Forest Development Corporation that was tasked with the construction work withdrew from the project terming it unviable.

However, P.Dhaneshkumar, former WWS warden, initiated a project to renovate the log house at Muthanga and completed the works at a cost of ₹65,000 .

The log house was opened for tourists recently. The grandeur of the construction has been retained and the two bedrooms have been equipped with modern toilet facilities.

The department has fixed ₹1,500 and ₹2,500 as charges for a day for the rooms on the ground floor and first floor respectively, N.T. Sajan,WWS Warden, said.