KOCHI:
The historical and ecological peculiarities of Moozhikkulam, a village in the northern part of Ernakulam district, will be unfolded before a group of attentive participants as Sahapedia, an open encyclopaedia for Indian Art, Culture and Heritage, is all set to organise the village walk on Thursday to coincide with the World Heritage Day that has ‘Rural Landscape’ as its theme for this year.
Swathed in history and awash with lush green paddy fields, Moozhikkulam, a small village in Chengamanad Panchayat near Angamaly, is situated at the banks of Chalakkudy river. It boasts of Thirumoozhikulam Sree Lakshmanaperumal Temple with 13th century inscriptions and St. Mary’s Forane Church, established in 601 AD that is mentioned in several ancient Christian texts.
This village walk, led by Prem Kumar, Secretary of Moozhikulam Sala—an organic space (Jaiva Campus) named after the ancient Vedic school which once functioned in Moozhikkulam—will take the participants through its expanse of unique historical and ecological features, narrating tales of the river, the ancient temple and the Sala, an organisation which believes in the sustainable use of natural resources. It was established as a tribute to the people and the Vedic school which existed in Moozhikkulam around 1,200 years ago.
The two-hour walk (4 pm-6 pm) will be followed by a screening of Kaippad, an award-winning documentary directed by Babu Kambrath on the backwater paddy and fish fields in northern Kerala. The film will be screened at Shaala Campus, Moozhikkulam from 6 pm to 7 pm.
Sahapedia is organizing a string of India Heritage Walks to mark the World Heritage Day that is observed on April 18. The event, spread across 16 Indian cities, is part of the global initiative to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect them.
