KOCHI: A meeting in connection with the ongoing Muziris Heritage Project will be held on Wednesday at the district administration headquarters here. At the meeting, convened by Ernakulam District Collector
K Mohammed Y Safirulla, negotiations will be held with the landowners regarding the value of the land to be acquired for the renovation of two Jewish houses and P Kesavadev’s residence under the project.
One of the Jewish Houses, owned by two Christian families, is located near Paravur market while the other is nearby Kottayil Kovilkam, Chendamangalam. Meanwhile, the house of writer and social reformer P Kesavadev is situated at Kedamangalam, North Paravur.
A total of 23 cent of land is required for the renovation of the Jewish houses while 13 cent is required to revamp P Kesavadev’s house. The restructuring will be done without affecting the heritage value of the sites or the existing infrastructure.Wednesday’s meeting will also discuss other topics such as the revival of the Spice Route project. The historic Spice Route, which was explored by ancient traders in search of black pepper, saw various places emerging as trade centres. When Kerala found a place in the spice route map, the ancient port of Muziris emerged as its hub. The Spice Route revival as part of Muziris heritage was mooted so as to help modern travellers retrace the voyages undertaken by the ancient traders and explorers. However, the project is in a standstill now.
The inauguration of the project, which has already got the nod from UNESCO, was held on February 27, 2016. “As part of the Spice Route Project a maritime museum is likely to come up at Pattanam excavation site. The museum has been planned as part of the second phase of the project,” said Midhun C Sekhar, manager, Muziris Heritage project(Kodungallur Area).
Second phase in limbo
Meanwhile, some of the monuments which come under the Muziris Heritage project are vying for the attention of the officials concerned. For instance, the Paliam Palace, which was opened to public after renovation in March 2014 is yet to be restored to its full heritage glory. Though some minor renovations were carried out in the first phase, major works which had been kept for the second pahse are yet to be carried out.
“We could carry out the renovation works on the Palace only after it was listed under the Muziris project. The heritage monument was in a very bad shape. We expect to complete the remaining works in the second phase,” said Sajna Vasanth Raj, the museum manager of Muziris Heritage Project(Paravur area).
“The armoury block at the Palace remains bare since the Paliam Trust is yet to hand over an array of weapons. The remodelling of the armoury and its renovation is planned in the second phase. The other proposal is to renovate the ‘oottupura’ of the Paliam Temple near the Palace. A performing arts theatre will be set up here in order to promote the folk culture of Kerala. Ten shops in front of the temple will be handed over to traditional craftsmen,” Sajna added.