KOCHI: Given how Mattancherry boasts globally celebrated heritage structures, namely the Mattancherry Palace and the Paradesi Synagogue, one would imagine the area around it would be optimally utilised. And indeed, for the most part it is, save for a singular site, which has, in recent years, been consigned to wilderness.
This is puzzling, given how the site is merely a stone’s throw away from the historic Jew Town and the Mattancherry water metro terminal, and sits at the intersection of three key lanes in the area. Yet, such features seem to hold little or no weight in deciding a favourable fate for the said location.
That’s not to mean the site is not significant. Indeed, only a century ago, it was here that judgments were passed by order of the Cochin king. Moreover, it was an important point of congregation for the locals. Later, as time passed, the site, which is interestingly an extension of the Mattancherry Palace, became a court complex and served a similar function.
“I remember witnessing court proceedings in the building during my visits to the hospital, which sits on an adjacent plot,” said Thaha Ibrahim, a resident. “Sadly, over the years, the building and the site were abandoned for whatever reason and today, it remains overrun with weeds and garbage,” he added.
Thaha also recalled a move to repurpose the site. “It came shortly after the local court that functioned within was shifted to the Thoppumpady building, as the old site had become inadequate by then,” he said.
However, this move was shot down, and importantly so, by history-conscious people in the region. K J Sohan, former mayor and a leading member of INTACH, a heritage society, remembers this development very vividly and explained the uproar.
“As you know, the Mattancherry Palace is a nationally protected monument under the care of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). There are strict conditions for building anything within a 300-metre radius around it. The court complex falls in that criterion,” Sohan pointed out.
“Then, the idea was still to build a court and keep the old one intact. INTACH had prepared a list of suggestions, mindful of the guidelines for building a court. However, these were overlooked. Before we knew it, a JCB was brought in to demolish the old building.
ASI filed a case, and the work was stalled,” the former mayor explained. However, local councillor T K Ashraf maintained that the intention was always to rebuild as before. “The then-chief architect had been meticulous to ensure that the new building, when it comes up, does not block the sightline to old buildings in the area, and many other parameters,” he said.
However, the case filed by INTACH-ASI robbed the project of its momentum, and for years, it remained so, Ashraf added. “Later, under Dominic Presentation, who was then MLA, the project stirred itself awake. But only temporarily. For yet another case, again citing heritage, stalled the work, leaving the area to be reclaimed by wilderness,” the councillor said.
“It’s a shame, really, for the abandoned plot has become a detriment to the prospects of Mattancherry at large,” Ashraf added. But even if they set up a court complex, that too is ideal as the sub jail and police station are just across the road.
Meanwhile, TNIE has learnt that one proposal under consideration is to use the site for residential quarters for retired judges. Whether this would happen without becoming a burden to the local heritage ethos is a question that remains to be probed. “But anything is better than what the site is today,” Thaha concluded.
Tourism potential
There’s much that can be done to tap the tourism potential of the site. Though the site has been earmarked for a court complex in the past, the land belongs to the works department. So it is very much possible that it could be turned to whatever suits the region best. Maybe, an amphitheatre even.