Kerala News: ‘Karnikkara Mandapam’ of Kunnamangalam temple gets UNESCO recognition

Kozhikode: The ‘Karnikkara Mandapam’ of the six-hundred-year-old Kunnamangalam Bhagavathy temple has been selected for UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Award for Conservation of Cultural Heritage. The Kunnamangalam Bhagavathi Temple, located at Naduvannur, north of Kozhikode, received a special recognition for its sustainable development by following a sustainable methodology to restore the “Karnikkara Mandapam” in front of the temple by its heritage-transforming practices.

In March 2023, a group of young architects and volunteers from the Proyecto de Investigación y Archivo (ARPO) began work on renovating the temple. “When our team found the temple in 2022, the structure of the Bhadrakali temple was in ruins. It was on the verge of collapse”, said Shrutin Lal, executive director of ARPO.

The ‘Karnikara Mandapam’, in its original state, was composed entirely of 16 pillars made of thatched wood. “As soon as we approached the temple committee for renovation, they were discussing the idea of replacing the mandapam with a concrete structure.

Then ARPO decided to intervene in the project and provided 1/3 of the total cost of the renovation, the only condition was that the entire restoration process be done in a sustainable manner”, said Shruthin.

Peepal Haveli in Punjab and Sikami Chhen in Kathmandu, Nepal are the other winners in this category. According to UNESCO, award winners were selected based on their demonstrated success across various conservation criteria, such as their expression of a sense of place, their technical achievements, their use or adaptation, their commitment to the local community and their contribution to the improvement Contribute to the sustainability of the surrounding environment and beyond.