The Department has also undertaken scientific preservation along with the search for the hidden relics of our heritage.
Structural Conservation Wing takes care of the structures and edifices that have been declared protected monuments. The main activity of the wing is to periodically inspect the protected monuments. During the inspection, the wing evaluates the decay and damages that may have occurred to the monuments and take steps to scientifically restore them to their original state without diminishing their structural stability.
The Department has keenly followed the guidelines for structural conservation issued from time to time by international agencies like UNESCO and ICCROM. A noteworthy step in this genre has been the invitation to Donald Insall of Britain, an acknowledged expert and UNESCO consultant on preservation and protection of heritage buildings, for advice on restoring the Padmanabhapuram Palace Complex in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. This world-renowned palace complex, built entirely of wood and facing ruin, is now in a state of good preservation as a result of the intervention of the Kerala Archaeology Department.
The Department declared the East Fort (Kizhakke Kota) and its fortifications in Thiruvananthapuram, which faced ruin, as a protected monument in 1964. Restoration works of high magnitude were done in 1983–84. The face of the fort was rebuilt, and fissures were repaired. In 2003, about 26 structures within the fort were declared protected, and the entire complex was made a heritage zone. The scientific conservation and restoration done at East Fort won international acclaim in 2004. The site was selected as the most tourist-friendly historical monument in the country in 2005 by Ministry of Tourism, Govt. Of India.
The Department has undertaken repairs and preservation works at several monuments, including the Jewish Synagogue at Chendamangalam Ernakulam district, the Arakkal Palace at Kannur, the Hill Palace at Thripunithura, the Nedumangad Koyikkal Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, the Shakthan Thampuran Palace and Fort Gates in Thrissur, the Kunjali Marakkar memorial at Kottakkal in Kozhikode, the Thrikkodithanam Temple, the Krishnapuram Palace, the Pazhur Perumthrikkovil, the Venkitathevar temple at Kottakkal in Malappuram, the Ariyittuvazhcha Palace at Mattanchery, the Suspension Bridge (thookkupalam) at Punaloor and the Thirunayathodu temple, among others. The conservation wing was honoured as it was entrusted with the conservation works of the Chief Postmaster General Headquarters building and the Band Stand inside the Napier Museum campus, both in Thiruvananthapuram. Protecting monuments that are hundreds of years old in their original sheen is a particularly daunting task under the peculiar weather conditions of Kerala. It is because the Department is following the scientific international approach of “minimum intervention” and “respect the original architecture” in preservation works that most such monuments remain more or less in their original mien.
The wing has undertaken a host of activities during the past five years.
The printing house (kammattapura), the big dining hall (valiya oottupura), Palpura Malika and Manimeda within the Padmanabhapuram Palace complex, comprising 17 structures, were completely conserved and restored during this period. The work has been completed using traditional materials with traditional technology, ensuring the preservation of their antiquity. The super structure, the walls and the terracotta tiled floors have all been carefully restored.
Measures similar to the work at Padmanabhapuram have been taken to the Thripunithura Hill Palace, which is the largest archaeological museum and protected monument in the state. Restoration of the ettukettu, the oldest structure of the complex, and the adjacent kulappuramalika, the dining hall (vilambupura) and the smaller Oottupura have been completed. The three tanks within the palace compound have been reclaimed scientifically, including by directing the rainwater falling within the complex to recharge the tanks, thus ensuring perennial water supply in the Kunnummal Palace which had always faced water scarcity. The compound wall of the Hill Palace Museum, which houses priceless relics, including the royal crown, has been secured with special security fencing. Work on the conservation of the Pathumuri building also got completed, besides essential maintenance works to the complex to make it ready for reorganizing the museum.
The first phase of Work on conserving the Varanad Kovilakam in Cherthala where IrayimmanThampy was born was completed. The seepage problem in the south side structure has been set right and the roof that was on the verge of collapsing has been repaired.
Another project that the State Archaeology Department proudly undertook was the renovation of the heritage building of the State Assembly, where the Golden Jubilee Museum is housed. The work on the watch tower and the walls was done using the traditional lime mortar.
Phase-wise conservation works have been done on the Kumaramangalathu Mana in Changanassery, the residence of Arnos Padre (Rev. Ernst Hansington) at Velur in Thrissur district, on the Pallippuram fort and the St. Francis Forane Church in Ernakulam district, the Thirunayathodu Sri Narayana Temple, the Collector’s Bungalow on East Hill in Kozhikode where the Pazhassiraja Museum is housed, the Muthavazhi Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, the Vazhuvelil Taravadu, the Eravimangalam Subrahmanya Swamy Temple, the Kalpathooridam Paradevatha Kshethram, and the Kandonthar Transit Jail.
The maintenance work on monuments designated as protected in Kasargod district, were also successfully undertaken and completed. Footpaths and bulwarks in the Chandragiri Fort have been rebuilt, besides providing toilets, parking facilities, an open-air stage and seating arrangements for visitors. Comprehensive conservation works have been undertaken in the Povval Fort, repairing ruined bulwarks and footpaths and installing mini-mast lighting. The first leg of maintenance work on the Hosdurg Fort has also been completed.
The old Payyannur Police Station, which resonates with memories of the Freedom Struggle, has been declared a protected monument and comprehensive maintenance work undertaken, which now houses the Gandhi Smrithi Museum.
Conservation of the most damaged portions of Kilimanur Palace, the Karthiayani Temple at Kuttamperoor near Chengannur, the Mahadeva Temple at Thrikodithanam in Kottayam, the Siva Temple at Thodeekkalam in Kannur and the Aruvikkara Temples of Thiruvananthapuram has been completed. The renovation of the Oottupura of the Narasimha temple at Ooramana near Muvattupuzha and the Narasimhaswamy temple at Sasthamkulangara near Chengannur has also been completed. Work on the renovation of the Hanveev Building, which once housed the district collectorate, has been completed.
Work on repairing the roof of the Postmaster General’s office and the Anantavilasam Palace, a protected monument that houses the office of the Cultural Department’s director, has been completed.
Today it is a challenging task in structural conservation to find the right material and correct workmanship. As traditional building methods are disappearing and the quality of raw materials diminishes, it is becoming more and more difficult to stick to the archaeological ethics of conservation. But, even though a small wing, the structural conservation wing of state archaeology is performing its duties accurately.
