Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday (April 13, 2025) said that museums are not just repositories of artefacts but also knowledge centres that counter falsehoods with historical truths.
He was inaugurating the Makreri Sree Subramanya Swamy Temple pilgrimage tourism initiative in Kannur as part of the Thalassery Heritage Tourism programme.
“In an era where lies spread as fast as information, museums become essential knowledge centres,” the Chief Minister said, stressing that the State does not view museums as mere exhibition halls but as instruments to preserve and transmit Kerala’s history and culture.
Mr. Vijayan added that the Thalassery Heritage Tourism project, worth ₹41 crore, aimed to preserve north malabar’s cultural legacy by upgrading infrastructure at 11 places of worship across Kozhikode, Kannur, and Wayanad. As part of this, ₹3 crore was being spent on the Makreri temple.
One of the major highlights is a ₹2.9 crore interactive museum dedicated to Sopana music and musician Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy.
“We have allocated ₹600 crore for various Devaswom projects,” he said, breaking it down as ₹145 crore for the Travancore Devaswom Board, ₹26 crore for the Cochin Devaswom Board, ₹252 crore for the Malabar Devaswom Board, ₹84 crore for the Sabarimala master plan, ₹116 crore for the Sabarimala Edathavalam for pilgrims, and ₹20 crore for the Sabarimala Sanitation Society. Besides, ₹25 crore was allocated for the salaries of Malabar Devaswom Board employees.
“Our policy is to protect and develop places of worship, which are vital for national unity and harmony,” he said.
Registration, Archaeology and Museums Minister Kadannappally Ramachandran presided, while V. Sivadasan, MP, district panchayat president K.K. Ratnakumar, and others attended.
Published – April 13, 2025 08:07 pm IST
