THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kuthampully, a small handloom village situated on the banks of the Bharatapuzha, will soon find a place on the country’s tourism map. The state government has decided to develop the hamlet known for its exquisite sarees into a tourist destination. A feasibility study in this regard is also on the cards.
Kuthampully sarees, distinguished by its beautiful borders, has exclusive Intellectual Property Rights through Geographical Indication Act (GI). Speaking to Express, Rupesh Kumar, state coordinator of Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission under the Tourism Department, said the mission has decided to bring the weavers’ village on to the tourism map under ‘PEPPER’ (People’s Participation for Participatory Planning and Empowerment through Responsible Tourism) project.
RT Mission will provide the village in Thiruvilwamala panchayat in Thrissur a platform for selling its GI-tagged products to a global audience. Further, the mission is planning to promote experiential tourism beyond sight-seeing. It will promote homestay facilities in the village so that tourists can reside with weavers and witness ancient weaving techniques.
Community training
The mission is also planning to provide community training to weavers to help them interact with tourists. It has also provided them with a space on its website to market their products, he said.
Villages near Kuthampully are slated to get a facelift as they are also listed as tourist destinations. For instance, the famed Thiruvilwamala Vilwadrinatha temple, Punarjani cave where devotees crawl in and Iivor Madom will also be enlisted under the project. The state government has sanctioned `78 lakh for developing 10 places under PEPPER project, an official said.
Kuthampully weavers belong to the Devanga community. Their forefathers migrated from Mysuru to the village 500 years ago at the invitation of the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Kochi.
Despite getting a GI tag, Kuthampully weavers are struggling to stay afloat like many weaving communities because of poor market patronage. Many youngsters of the community have gone in search of greener pastures.
