KOLLAM: A heritage house at Prakkulam where social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and his disciples lived will get a new life with the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) modifying it into a centre for research and cultural studies related to the history of Kollam. The historical artefacts collected from Kollam in various excavations that point to the history of the ancient port city will also be displayed here. The 3,000-sq ft building on 35 cents of land near Anchalummoodu was constructed in 1900 using firebricks.
The Guru stayed here for nearly a month for his Ayurveda treatment and his room at the west end of the building has been preserved as such. “The KCHR had decided to make the building into a Kollam heritage home,” KCHR director P.J. Cherian told this newspaper. “The building has unique architectural features and is vital for archaeological studies and allied research. The area around the Ashtamudi Lake has witnessed human settlement from time immemorial. This area is a continuation of the Muziris.”
The Guru stayed in the same house in 1921 to participate in a special convention in which ‘Prakkulam resolution’ that declared people from varied castes and religions should be given membership in the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam was adopted.
The KCHR will also showcase various historical artefacts collected from different sites in Kollam in the heritage home. Several antiques including coins, utensils, and nannangadi, the burial monuments that were found from various spots in the district, will also find a place in the home pointing to the history of the land. The coins collected during dredging at the Kollam port will also be showcased.
