KOCHI: Artefacts recovered from the work site during the construction phase of the water metro terminal in Fort Kochi and later relocated to the Bastion Bungalow premises in 2021 remain neglected, with no comprehensive studies done to understand them or adequate efforts made to preserve them.
When TNIE visited the Bungalow on Wednesday, these artefacts were found buried under a heap of garbage and an assortment of construction materials.
Locals in the area allege that this has been the case for some weeks now. But those in the know, especially history buffs and researchers, point out that the apathy runs deep.
“Eleven slabs of granite and one of laterite were retrieved from the work site adjacent to the Chinese fishing nets,” recalled K Harikumar, an officer with the Archaeology Department who was part of a motley group that raised an alarm when the discovery was made in 2021.
But for many in the region, finding artefacts here was no surprise discovery, but an absolute certainty.
“After all, this site is a goldmine of archaeological remains. It is here that several historical buildings stood, most notably, the Karippura (coal storehouse). We were able to retrieve some stones after we made a hue and cry, but several got buried again nearby by the water metro workers,” said K J Sohan, former mayor and a history enthusiast.
When the stones were moved, there was a genuine belief among the locals that these remnants of history would indeed be preserved.
“Alas, that was not to be. The stones remain where we left them all those years ago – neglected,” highlighted Raigon Stanley, director of the Grey Book Museum and Archives and who first raised the alarm when water metro work began on that site in 2021.
Interestingly, the Archaeology Department maintains a wing on the top floor of the Bungalow, and most windows open to the garden where these stones are. “The officials see them every day – and yet, no one is interested in their preservation. It’s shocking and shameful,” he lamented.
Raigon also recalled how the Department’s then director was uninterested even during the time of the discovery. “They didn’t want these stones, which is also part of why several stones got buried again at the work site,” he added.
E Dinesan, the director of the Archaeology Department, was reportedly cautious about declaring the historical significance of the stones. And that remains so.
When TNIE spoke to him, Dinesan said that two studies are essential. “One to ascertain the chemical composition of these slabs, and another to analyse what they may have been a part of. Both are crucial to understand their place in history,” he said.
Apparently, only the first of the two studies was ever done, and the Archaeology department was not actively involved in it. “It was a study done by a researcher at the Cochin University of Science and Technology. But I’m not in a position now to say that we received its findings,” Dinesan added.
But the findings did make news, and for all the wrong reasons. “It discredited the historical significance of these stones, thus dampening the interest in their preservation,” Harikumar pointed out, adding that the research’s findings are not entirely accurate.
Raigon seconds this. “It’s not only inaccurate. The methodology used for sampling – drilling, and GPS scans without proper authorisation – was also not mindful of the possibility of what these stones may have been,” he added. Legal action was pursued to stop further damage to them.
Part of why the artefacts remain in the neglected state that they do is this research. Another, shortage of funds.
To circumvent this, a team of history enthusiasts, including Raigon, Harikumar and Ibrahim Thaha (a history enthusiast), had sought the help of the Central Archaeology Department in Thrissur with the matter, but the latter maintained that it fell under the purview of the state department.
But among all researchers, the unstated fact was that these slabs were indeed of historical significance. Harikumar’s own studies revealed that they are remnants of the Buddhist period.
“It’s likely from the time of Ashoka. His children, Sanghamitra and Mahendran, it is suggested, made their way to Sri Lanka through this route. A lot of Buddhist artefacts were recovered from this area,” he said.
As for their architectural makeup, Ayana Antony, a doctoral researcher who focuses on the Portuguese era, said, “I have found similar patterns in the Museum of Setubal in Portugal. They were remains of the Church of Jesus, dating from the 15th to 17th centuries.”
Several theories also float. “One suggests that these stones were part of Fort Emmanuel. Another says they could be the relics of a church. But we can’t be certain until further studies are done. For that preservation is essential,” pointed out Raigon, who has done detailed studies of these slabs.
A colonial-era photograph accessed by TNIE from the archives shows these very stones assembled (albeit in two nondescript locations across Fort Kochi) by the British and fenced, so as not to damage them.
“Even they knew these stones were of value. Now only if our people could muster a similar zeal,” Raigon concluded.