Colonial Kuthirai Vandi Court, Coimbatore - Madras high court judges recently witnessed restoration work

Navrang India February 04, 2023

 In February 2020 the Tamil Nadu State government  sanctioned Rs.19.3 crore for the express purpose of renovating  popular Kuthirai vandi Court on Avinashi road, Coimbatore city, besides  other old heritage court buildings at  Kanchipuram, Salem and Nagercoil

Visiting HC judges at Kuthirai vandi court, Coimbatore thehindu.com

Kuthirai Vandi Court (horse-drawn cart court), Coimbatore
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As for Kuthirai vandi Court, it is a British-era  building where the first Magistrate Court was  housed to dispose of  countless ligation from the people residing here.  PWD, under whose direction the renovation work was undertaken, was keen to use eco-friendly construction materials, matching those used centuries ago to retain the aesthetic and heritage  aspects of the structures. 

With respect to  Kuthirai vandi court where the restoration work began in 2021, the conservation engineers  carefully used  proportionately blended and well-ground lime and jaggery as good bonding  agent. This technique was  followed for centuries in the construction of buildings during the Nayak and Maratha period in the Thanjavur Delta region. This building that remained unused for decades was heavily damaged due to overgrowth of vegetation and plants that promoted root-wedging of the structure. This caused extensive seepage and made the structure weak. It was built in 1863 on a huge  plot of 2.6 acres; it is a single story building with high ceiling supported by  huge columns.

restoration of Kuthirai Vandi Court, Coimbatore, TN, simplicity.in 
 
restoration of Kuthirai Vandi Court, Coimbatore, TN, simplicity.in 

In the third week of July 2022 a  delegation of six judges from the Madras High Court, Chennai  inspected  the Coimbatore District Court where the final phase of   renovation work was on. It was mentioned that the present work would be completed soon. The work on the Madras terrace building got delayed because of COvid-19 Pandemic threat that overwhelmed the world including India. 

The dilapidated building, once restored back to old world charm,  will be turned  into a museum.  The delegation also visited the adjacent  vacant site on the court campus  where a five-floor building was planned to be built with better amenities and large court rooms for the benefit of the public.