The Archaeological department will soon restore the old glory of the four-century-old ancestral house of renowned poetess Sugathakumari. The renovation and rehabilitation work of the house, which had survived the brunt of two devastating floods, is going on.

On her 84th birthday in January last year, Minister for Museums and Archaeology Kadannappally Ramachandran had handed over a notification that formalised the take-over of her Vazhuvelil Tharavadu, at Aranmula by the State Archaeology Department for its conservation. The government had declared it as protected monument then.

Aranmula Vasthuvidhya Gurukulam has prepared the blueprint for the renovation. Sugathakumari’s approval of the plan had also been taken prior to the beginning of the work.

The poetess insisted on retaining its old structure in its entirety. Before starting the work, all sides of the house were videographed. It was her wish to convert the building into an archaeological marvel.

The building is under the ownership of Sugathakumari. Long before, she had engaged Aranmulakkal house resident Vijayakumar for taking care of the building and continuing timely pujas at the Kavu.

Kavu, pond, court yard all will be preserved in its old form. The pond at East –north side will be rehabilitated. Wood works for the building are going on in Thiruvalla.

The construction will be purely based on Vasthu science. The history and heritage of the building will remain intact. After completion of each phase, it will be explained to the poetess.

The aim is to complete it in time to present it to her as the Onam gift. The estimated cost for renovation is Rs 50 lakh. S Bhoopesh will be in charge of archaeological conservation of the building.
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