In December 2020 roughly 100 year old Koothambalam at Guruvayur Temple, Kerala was one among the four sites that won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The others are Delhi’s Heritage Park-Sunder Nursery, Amar Singh College, Srinagar and Malabari Hall Building, Seva Sadan Society of Mumbai. This temple is one of the famous temples of ''Sri Krishna'' across the country and is an important pilgrimage center in South India
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| Koothambalam, Guruvayur temple, Kerala darcawards.com |
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| .Koothambalam, Guruvayur temple, Kerala onmanorama.com |
Above images: Koothambalam on the temple premise is made mostly of quality wood with adequate wooden support and proper ventilation. The extended sloping roof on all sides will prevent rain from affecting the walls and reduce the glare. In some koothambalams special old-type acoustic provisions are made to amplify the sound across the large hall. Normally, with tiled roof is carefully protected by proper wooden paneling. A fine piece of architectural work that has been around for centuries .......
The renovated Guruvayur Koothambalam won the Award of Distinction for cultural heritage conservation. According to the UNESCO statement the restoration work on the Koothambalam hall gives validity to the ''affinity between architectural heritage and associated living, spiritual and artistic tradition.'' This award is an acknowledgement of 'the role and contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development.'
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| Koothambalam, Guruvayur temple, Keraladarcawards.com |
''Koothambalam'' or ''Natyagriha'' in Kerala is part of a Hindu temple and it is a closed privileged theatrical space facing the sanctum and designed for staging age-old ritualistic performing art forms native to Kerala such as Koodiyattam, Nangiar koothu, etc. The rituals are done to propitiate the god. A sacred place on the temple premises, it is said to have been constructed according to the Natyasastra of Bharata Muni and it provides an aesthetic ambiance for the audience as well as to the performers in a sanctified space.
Normally built within the prakaras of the temple it has a natyamandapam in the center - an elevated square platform with a separate pyramidal roof supported by wooden pillars. The hall is a large one with two more or less equal parts - one for stage performance with musical instruments, etc., and the other is for the audience. The entire structure is provided with excellent ventilation that will keep the indoors cool.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time and advent of modern life only some temples are left with Koothambalam and their conservation has become a necessity to preserve the old art forms that are slowly dying. Further, such ingeniously made wooden structures of beauty and architectural finesse are part of Kerala's rich culture where the trained artists in Kathakili, Mohiniattom or Koodiyattom perform their debut before the audience - a sort of dedication of their first performance to the presiding deity of the temple.
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| inside a Koothambalam, Kerala ,pinrest |
The renovation of Guruvayur Koothambakam involved time- consuming work - careful stripping of conflicting enamel paints and intrusive modern stuff that mar the original beauty. The conservationist employed talented and experienced carpenters to work on the intricate woodwork and warm natural timber finishes of the original building. The new insertions were done to improve the quality of the performance space in accordance with international conservation norms. The lighting arrangements were elaborate and refurbished scientifically, covering ambient, event and stage lighting. The purpose of lighting is to augment the spiritual aura of the theatrical space and to highlight the rich intricate wood work. The light fixtures are carefully concealed within the structure. The conservationists and artisans breathed fresh lease of life to the heritage structure.
The conservation aimed at safeguarding aesthetics of old structures that are prone to vulgarity of modern technology. Normally, Hindu temple rituals across India are votive in nature that have been here for centuries. The conservation work recognizes the long held cultural and religious ethos. Glad to hear this renovation work was sponsored by TVS Motors.
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for cultural heritage conservation committee since 2000 has been recognizing private individuals' participation in the conservation work. In many Indian states the governments experience money crunch and participation of private industries, etc., is a step in the right direction.
The architect M.M. Vinod led the team with support from talented carpenters and the PWD section of the Guruvayur Devaswom. This is the second temple in Kerala to get the UNESCO award. In 2015, Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur was the first one to have selected for UNESCO ‘Award of Excellence’ for the preservation of heritage.
That the demolition of old temple structures and replacing them with concrete structures is sad news and does not augur well for the old temples that need repair and conservation. A viable scientific methods should be given priority and the temples governed by the Government agencies must set clear-cut conservation norms with respect to historical places of worship within the frame work Care must be taken not to deviate or damage their heritage aspects and most importantly, they must use constructions materials matching those used in the past. Saving the old structures for posterity is essential to retain the historical and cultural connectivity in relation to that region.
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