Open-air heritage museum at Manipal in Karnataka features life-size homes from across peninsular India Premium

Located in the education hub of Manipal in Udupi district of Karnataka, the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village is the brainchild of late Vijayanath Shenoy (1934-2017), a banker and resident of Udupi.

Mention of a museum conjures up the picture of a building housing rare articles. But Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village Museum changes one’s notion of scale, with exhibits comprising life-size buildings, mainly traditional houses and shrines.

Located in the education hub of Manipal in Udupi district of Karnataka, the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village is the brainchild of late Vijayanath Shenoy (1934-2017), a banker and resident of Udupi. Spread over seven acres on Manipal-Alevoor Road, the open air museum is a tribute to the rich construction tradition of the southern peninsula. Showcasing Indian heritage, culture, and artefacts, Hasta Shilpa is a museum of traditional houses, textiles, utensils, crafts, toys and furniture.

The seeds of Hasta Shilpa were sown, albeit unknowingly, when Vijayanath began looking for designs and materials from old houses in nearby areas to build his own house in traditional style in 1990. As he started to construct the house by fetching material from different places, he was disheartened to see many old and heritage houses being brought down, either owing to owners’ inability to maintain them or to build new structures.

An urge to protect invaluable pieces of history for the next generation led Vijayanath to start restoring such structures, not in their original location, but at Manipal. Piece by piece, he collected heritage structures, mainly houses, and reassembled them in the heritage village. The cost of each structure was at least four times more than the original cost of construction because of various stages of their reconstruction, right from documentation, dismantling, transportation and the final restoration.

The topography of the land, given on lease by the district administration to Hasta Shilpa Trust, resembles a typical rural setting, thereby taking the visitors to yesteryears. Vijayanath also documented many of the lost classical and folk traditions for future generations with the hope that they would inspire young people, just as they had fired his own imagination.

At present, Hasta Shilpa Heritage Village Museum has 11 heritage structures, eight traditional shrines, three museums and 40-odd shops. If one is keen to take in every detail, even a full day (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the gate closing at 3.45 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday) may not be enough.

An increase in the numbers of footfalls, including educational tours, indicate the growing popularity of the village, as well as the keen interest among people to know their heritage.