KOCHI:The 450-year-old Bastion Bungalow in Fort Kochi will be made a historical monument, Minister for Museums, Archaeology and Archives Ramachandran Kadannappally said here on Friday.Chairing a high-level meeting of senior officers and public representatives to discuss ways to conserve and protect the heritage building, he said the Bastion Bungalow will be raised to the standards of an international museum.
Originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it is one of the oldest buildings in Kerala.
The bungalow was declared a district heritage museum recently. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry have witnessed invasions from the Dutch, Portuguese and British, and both the towns are important as traditional commercial centres.The place is also a melting pot of various cultures and communities. All this will be reflected in the Bastian Bungalow as a globally acclaimed museum, he said.Local MLA K J Maxi said all steps will be taken to open the bungalow to the public before Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018, which is scheduled to start from December 12.
The heritage museum at Bastion Bungalow was opened on February 2, 2016.The original building was destroyed during the Dutch invasion in 1663. The British rulers, who took over the bungalow, decided to leave the circular structure of the original building untouched. Councillors Shiny Mathew, Basil and Dominic Fernandez participated in the discussion.
Archaeology director J Rejikumar, archives department director P Biju, Kerala Museum History and Heritage executive director Chandran Pillai, Bastion Bungalow in-charge officer K Jayashree and other public figures also participated.