Monday, 3 March 2014

MUSEUMS OPENED AS PART OF MUZIRIS HERITAGE PROJECT


Four museums have been opened for public around Paravur and Chennamangalam

People can now learn about the history and culture of a part of Kerala with the government opening four museums on Sunday around Paravur and Chennamangalam.

The Kerala History Museum, Lifestyle Museum, Kerala Jewish History Museum, and Jewish Lifestyle Museum were opened under the Muziris Heritage Project.

The history museum has been set up at the Paliam Kovilakam at Chennamangalam, about 30 km to the north of Kochi, the lifestyle museum at the adjacent Paliam Nalukettu, Jewish history museum at Paravur synagogue, and Jewish lifestyle museum at Chennamangalam synagogue.

The four museums together will present a comprehensive picture of the political and cultural history and lifestyle of the region.

The Heritage Project would be inaugurated after other facilities such as visitors’ centre, research centres, and a boat service were put in place, said Tourism director S. Harikishore, who inaugurated the museums.

The Muziris Heritage Project, spearheaded by the Tourism Department, envisaged a group of heritage and tourism plans around key historical monuments in North Paravur, Kodungalloor, Chennamangalam, Pallippuram, Mala and other areas. A group of 25 museums proposed under the project would be strung together to give visitors a tour of the history and lifestyle of the entire region. The project had also proposed a boat service linking these sites to provide easy access to tourists.

The four museums opened on Sunday are part of the larger plan put forward by the Heritage Project.

The Paliam Kovilakam was the seat of the line of Paliath Achans, who were prime ministers of the Maharajah of Cochin and wielded great power in the region from the 16 to the 19 centuries. The Paliath Achan once sheltered the Raja of Cochin, who fled to Chennamangalam to escape the Portuguese atrocities, thus earning the home of the Achan the title ‘Kovilakam.’ The two structures have been converted to history and lifestyle museums with exhibits from the Paliam families and video and touchscreen facilities to tell their story.

The Paravur and Chennamangalam synagogues, which testify to the presence of Jews in Kerala centuries ago, were both restored and fitted with new exhibits as part of the Heritage Project.


Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar said the State and Central governments had come together to protect and showcase the culture of the region. Tourism secretary Suman Billa said the project was following the standards for conservation set by UNESCO.

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