Muziris Heritage Project to conserve historic port’s legacy rudderless

Officials say efforts are under way to make up for the inordinate delay in completing the conservation works

Conceived during the V.S. Achuthanandan-led government over a decade ago to conserve the legacy of Muziris, a legendary port that is said to have been the hub of the historic spice route about 2,500 years ago, the ambitious Muziris Heritage Project (MHP) is far from complete and appears rudderless.

Officials, however, claim that efforts are under way to make up for the inordinate delay in completing the conservation works. 

The port which was located in the North Paravur-Kodungalloor-Mathilakam area on the Ernakulam-Thrissur border is said to have been erased from the global maritime map following large-scale floods which caused the creation of the Kochi harbour. While its exact location is still being debated, the port was a great trading centre in the East. A multitude of goods from spices and precious stones were traded with the Greeks, Romans and many other parts of the world. It was also a doorway to India for varied cultures and races.

Efforts to restore the heritage of the region to days of its lost glory were hampered by slack upkeep from about a decade ago in the first of phase of the MHP. The second phase has run into rough weather due to government apathy. 

Despite high expectations, the project that was touted as an exemplary model for heritage conservation efforts in India remains without a full-time managing director, a key stakeholder points out. “The conservation of innumerable heritage structures has not begun, although money was sanctioned years ago. They include the Jewish houses in North Paravur and Chendamangalam, and the second phase works of the Kottappuram market. Worse so, no new museum has been opened during the last five years. Much more ought to have been done during the past 12 years,” he laments.

Conservative estimates suggest that approximately Rs 200 crore was allotted for Phase I and II of the MHP.