THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The State Archives Department is taking the technology route to bind one generation to the other and help travellers uncover fascinating details of the state’s rich heritage with just a few taps. Accordingly, the department is developing a mobile app with a GIS-based atlas featuring 200 destinations of historical and cultural importance which will enable users who pass by a monument to get information on the related archival records plus a short video clip.
Archives director P Biju said the app was part of a larger technological intervention of the department to bring the natives and travellers closer to the state’s rich archival heritage. Also on the cards are an interactive website and YouTube channel.“The mobile app will feature 200 important monuments or destinations covering all the districts. Historical monuments will range from the state Secretariat to palaces and ancient centres of worship,” he said. “A brief video portraying the monument’s archival importance and links to get more information will be provided. Interested persons can visit our website for details or visit the archives concerned to browse the original documents,” he said.
The Archives Department has an enormous collection of documents dating back to 1424 A.D. These include palm leaf manuscripts, bamboo splints, copper plates, paper records and microfilms. The records are in different languages like Malayalam, Old Malayalam, Tamil, Vattezhuthu, Kolezhuthu and Malayanma, besides those in other Indian languages and foreign languages.
The Central Archives here has over one crore palm leaf manuscripts which is one of the largest collection of its kind in the entire world. Records of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, including those referring to the treasure trove, are also available.
The Directorate of Archives situated on the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan campus in the capital has a huge collection of documents related to Freedom Struggle and the state government. Some of these are classified documents. Besides, there are regional archives in Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
The regional archives in Ernakulam is notable for the records related to the erstwhile Kochi kingdom, Dutch, Portuguese, Persian and Garsonic records.
We want to take the state’s enviable collection of archival records to the people, both natives and foreigners. Travellers can now get information on select destinations without the help of an information centre. Educating the native population, especially the young generation, on their rich heritage is also part of the aim — Ramachandran Kadannappally, Archives Minister