Need to create awareness of importance of preserving, maintaining historical sites stressed

The need to create awareness among the public of the importance of preserving and maintaining historical sites in the region was stressed at the launch of the Madurai Heritage Map by INTACH on Tuesday.

The need to create awareness among the public of the importance of preserving and maintaining historical sites in the region was stressed at the launch of the Madurai Heritage Map by INTACH on Tuesday.

The heritage map highlights the important historical sites in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Director of the Fortune Pandiyan Hotel in Madurai G. Vasudevan said that there was a need to educate people on the importance of the important sites in the region and the need to protect them.

He said that it is deplorable that people were scribbling their names on the walls at these sites. He emphasised the need to take the schoolchildren on tours to the historical sites.

Appreciating the team of cartographers who drew the map, he urged them to keep updating it for the benefit of the public.

Executive Director of Thiagarajar Mills Hari K. Thiagarajan agreed with Mr. Vasudevan on the need to educate people on the importance of maintaining the historic sites. He said that people not only scribble on the walls and pillars but they also leave behind plastic materials like bottles and covers inside the monuments. This had to change, he said. He said that the recently opened Keeladi museum was a boon to the region and stressed the need for good guides at the monuments.

The founder of the Mahatma Group of Schools Premalatha Panneerselvam said that there was a need to install signboards and information about the monuments to create an awareness among the public. Chitra Ganapathy of the Kadambavanam Resort said that the authorities and the visitors should ensure that cleanliness is maintained at these sites.