KOCHI: Heritage tourism, catching on in Kerala, has given an impetus to the conservation of ancient buildings and monuments, Union Minister of State for Agriculture K.V. Thomas has said.
Speaking after opening the annual conference of the Kerala History Congress at Kalamassery on Tuesday, Prof. Thomas said that during his term as Tourism Minister of Kerala, he had taken steps for the conservation of six of the seven churches built by the Portuguese. He noted that the ancient Cheraman Masjid at Kodungalloor needed to be conserved.
P.J. Cherian, Director, Kerala Council for Historical Research, speaking on his experience from the excavations at Muziris-Pattanam, said the area was an important Indo-Roman site in the Indian Ocean region. Muziris civilisation was multicultural and urban and its economic life hinged on maritime trade. However, Muziris also had a pre-Roman past when trade with West Asia seemed to flourish.
Thomas Mathew, literary critic; M.V. Pylee, educationist; Charles Dias, MP; and George Velipparambil were honoured.
K. Sukumaran, former High Court judge, and the Kerala History Congress leaders N.K. Jose, John Pulikkaprambil and Tom Jose spoke.
The Hindu
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