Jun 19, 2007
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A trip to Manipal would be incomplete without a visit to Heritage Village. It is the sole witness of the skills in craftsmanship and creativity that our ancestors possessed. These are structures that have stood the test of time. Putting it in Vijayanath Shenoy’s words, it stands for ‘restoration and conservation’ and is an ‘inspiration to posterity’.
It’s a treat to a man’s eyes, especially if you have a taste for traditional architecture. ‘Heritage Village’- true to its name, speaks of the testimony of the tradition set by our ancestors ages ago. It has structures that can be traced to centuries. The oldest structure is more than 700 years old. The images will leave an everlasting imprint in your mind, that the sands of time are not bound to erase so easily. The construction that commenced ten years ago will be open to public by end of 2008.
A five minutes walk down the narrow mud road at the planetarium will take you to a tall gate with a board reading in Kannada that says trespassers strictly not allowed. On either sides of the path one can see broken clay pieces. The guard at the gate will make every attempt to compel you to leave that place. But if you are successful in getting in there, you will not regret it.
Vijaynath Shenoy is the pioneer of this project. A retired banker, it pained him when the surviving testimonies of the past were being pulled down for ssetting up commercial complexes and tall buildings. He bought these priceless mementoes when there was no other recourse, and decided to display them so that it can act as an ambassador of the generations that they belonged to.
It all started when Vijayanath Shenoy’s house Hastha Shilpa became popular. Hastha Shilpa is the house that Vijayanath Shenoy himself constructed, with the debris of items that were used in the construction of traditional homes. He collected such items from the backyards of different houses. The house became the most sought after house in the area, and thousands of visitors flocked by to see it. This went on and robbed Shenoy's family of their privacy. They then shifted to another house, after which, in 1991 Shenoy formed the Hashta Shilpa Trust and made the Heritage House a property of the Trust, dedicating it to the nation, and termining himself as only a caretaker.
The Heritage Village consists of more than 15 structures. It can be divided into Functional structure and Craft structure. The functional structure consists of the traditional and unique structures, that carry historical significance and represent the era that it belonged to. A Bunt household that dates back to three centuries, a Sringeri house with elaborate interiors reflecting the Vedic traditions; and Vidyamandira that is a century old and that used to be the residence of the priest of Ramachandrapura Math at Haniya in Shimoga district are just a few of the structures that adorn the functional structure. Major portions of a Mangalore Catholic house, a Bhatkal Muslim house are among other names that form this splendid work of art. The galleries depict the life of cultural luminaries of the district. The Museum of Folk Arts that is still under construction, will display the traditional arts, crafts, paintings and textiles of the region. The original Tanjore paintings, among others, adorn the museums.
The craft structure is a training institute that would commence once the Heritage Village is open to public. The students will be provided accommodation facility there itself.
Music complementing the era to which each of these houses belong is played when one enters them. The music brings the old desolate structures back to life. Huge wooden doors, cast made out of iron grills, ritual metal articles and terracotta artifacts, a cluster of folk-idols, epic heroines Kanthabare and Budabare of the Billava community are just some of the charactersistic features that remind us of the glorious days when they used to be ‘just another’ feature to the ruler’s credit.
The process that goes into the making of the Heritage Village is a laborious one. After the structures are acquired, they numbered then dismantled, transported and joined again as it was previously.
This dream was made possible because of generous assistance of Norad, the funding agency of the Royal Norwegian Embassy. A few other agencies and donors have come forward and made valuable contributions to assist the completion of the project. But at present, due to exhaustion of the funds, the project has come to a stand still.
In an interview to TV Daijiworld, Vijayanath Shenoy, the pioneer of the project said 'The Heritage Village is not owned by any single person. It belongs to the entire nation and no one person can take the responsibility of it.' Thus, in a manner, it becomes our responsibility to contribute in any small way that we can to ensure that his dreams of establishing this village is fulfilled. The efforts put in so far should not go futile and these structures should last for centuries more to tell the tale of our glorious past to the generations to come.
Heritage Village address:
Hasta Shilpa Trust
50, Anantnagar, Manipal - 576104
Karnataka - India
Phone: + 91 9845229701
Fax: +91 820 2575910
Email: hastashilpa@sify.com
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