A historic silver lining

In these disturbing times of CWG worries, Ayodhya title-suit tensions, Kashmir troubles, floods and Naxal issues, there appear in the newspapers, once in a while, some heart-warming stories. One has to really burrow deep into the newspapers(and the right newspapers at that) to get to them, but they do exist, however small in proportion. One such stack of news stories that has been building up for sometime now is the news on heritage structures preservation.

We have been infamous for non-conservation of our structures. And what we did rarely in the name of conservation were shoddy jobs that distorted the monuments. What we did in the name of promoting tourism was even worse. Our Archeological Survey of India(ASI) has often been like most other government institutions – lethargic, if not anything worse.

So, it came as a surprise to learn about some really ambitious and well-done projects in archeology and heritage structures in the recent past.

First in the list is the Muzuris project. Muziris is an ancient port on the Malabar Coast that has been mentioned in ancient Tamil scriptures and Roman texts. It was a busy trading port in first century B.C.E. Though numerous speculations abounded, the exact location of Muziris had remained elusive so far. The fact that backwaters and river courses altered over the last two millennia did not help either.

For a long time, speculations on the location of the Muziris port centered around Kodunganallur on the banks of the Periyar River in the coast of Central Kerala. But puzzling lack of archealogical evidence meant Muziris remained mysterious. Careful study by a doctoral scholar in the 1990s threw up evidence of a small village Pattinam possibly being the spot where the flourishing port of Indo-Roman trade once lay. Archealogical evidence presented itself almost immediately and excitement mounted in all quarters. An expert team came together and systematic excavations began in the 2007. Excavations happen every year seasonally(due to the monsoon I guess) and loads of ancient treasures like beads, pottery, coins, etc have been unearthed. Iron age artifacts have also been found providing evidence that Muziris indeed had a long long history before it suddenly vanished one day.

Following the Muziris excavations, the Kerala government has launched the Rs 140-crore Muziris Heritage Project(MHP) which is funded fifty percent by the Central government. MHP covers not only excavations and conservation of the Muziris and its satellite ports, the project aims to pay a tribute and conserve heritage of the maritime history along the Malabar coast with central focus on Muziris.

One of the projects under the MHP is the Chennamangalam Paliyam Palace and Nalukettu mansion conservation project. The palace was built by the Dutch for the Paliyam chief for his help in dislodging the Portuguese. Distinctive Dutch architecture and historic significance of the palace make it an important landmark of the pre-British European colonial conquests on the Arabian coast. After the renovation works, the Palaces will be handed over to the trust that has been maintaining it traditionally to open to public and continue maintenance. This is a good example of practical and sensible public-private partnerships in heritage preservation.

Then coming as an example of social conscience towards preservation of history is the Uttaramerur Kailasanathar Temple renovation. An entirely a private effort led by the REACH foundation, an NGO, villagers and students of IIT Madras, there are several aspects to be praised here. The renovation was by no means a haphazard job and care was taken to preserve the originality of the structure. Scientific techniques of restoration and methods to test the structural strength (courtesy of IIT Madras) were employed. Inscriptions of Chola and Vijayanagara periods have been discovered in the course of the effort. Work over two years has restored the 1200-year-old temple to its former glory.

The latest news is about the most prestigious of India’s international heritage conservation efforts - the Ta Prohm temple conservation project awarded to the ASI. The 12^th Century Ta Prohm is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Angkor Wat region of Cambodia. Though the uniqueness of the temple lies in the interweaving of mammoth stone structures and tropical trees, unbridled growth of the trees will lead to complete demolition of the structure. ASI’s work has recreated some of the damaged parts of the temple, created supports in wood and steel as well as facilities for tourists to walk through safely and view the temple complex. Initial skepticism on ASI’s technical capabilities has been laid to rest with the good work demonstrated so far.

It is true that these heartening news are far and few. And the scale of the efforts is in no way comparable to what is required to preserve the expanse of the rich heritage structures and sites of India. We still have the yellowing façade of the Taj Mahal, decaying Nizam’s wardrobe or the monsoon-damaged Charminar. But these stories are definitely something to be appreciated, definitely feel-good.