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Sankar Radhakrishnan

Thiruvananthapuram , Nov. 13

KERALA'S traditional architecture has fascinated visitors to the State, but for the owners of many of these heritage buildings, maintaining them has been an uphill task.

The `Grihasthali' scheme launched by the State tourism is, therefore, intended to help preserve the heritage structures by turning them into `heritage home stays' for tourists.

"The idea is that heritage tourism will make it possible for us to preserve these traditional buildings," says Mr Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Director, Department of Tourism.

In an effort to promote the `Grihasthali' concept and give a new lease of life to traditional structures in the State, a group of heritage homeowners has come together and formed the Heritage Homes Network-Kerala.

The primary objective of the network is to preserve heritage buildings, particularly houses, across the State while also giving tourists an opportunity to experience and study Kerala's architectural tradition, says Ms S. Saradammal, one of the people behind the network and the owner of Thani Illam, a heritage home near Kochi.

As many of these traditional homesteads are in villages, tourists will also get an opportunity to experience rural life in Kerala, she adds.

The campaign is targeted at international visitors interested in learning more about the State's architectural and cultural traditions. The network is supported by the State Tourism Department.

Becoming a part of the heritage tourism sector will make it possible for many of these heritage buildings to literally "pay for their upkeep," says Ms Saradammal. In fact, the owners of several heritage homes have scrapped plans to demolish or sell these buildings after becoming a part of the network, she added.

The network's research team has already created a database of some 306 heritage homes across Kerala.

The emphasis is not on just listing homes that meet the age criteria, but also on finding traditional houses with owners who are interested in tourism, Ms Saradammal said.

In fact, the houses that want to become a part of the network first have to meet the criteria for inclusion into the `Grihasthali' project, she adds.

While the first phase of developing the network was devoted to research and creating the database, the second phase will look at establishing a sub-network of 30-odd heritage homes in Ernakulam district.

The ultimate goal is to have such sub-networks in all districts in Kerala. "Then, it will be possible for tourists to move from one heritage home to another right through their stay in Kerala," she added.

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