The demand for conferring heritage status on Kollengode village has got louder with the recent discoveries of monuments and ruins throwing light on the region’s historical significance. V. Sanal Kumar, a teacher who has made a detailed study of the Thenmala valley below the mighty hills of Nelliampathy, has written to the State and Central authorities raising the demand of heritage village status for Kollengode.
“Kollengode is widely considered one of the most beautiful villages in the country. The region’s long-pending demand for setting up of a heritage museum is genuine. The government should initiate it,” said Dr. Sanal Kumar.
Trek route sought
A large number of rock engravings, stone inscriptions, megalithic monuments, terracotta and stone sculptures, postholes, and other ruins have been discovered from Thenmala valley, particularly Kollengode. “Efforts should be made to preserve those monuments and ruins through a special action plan. We also demand opening of a trek route from Seetharkundu to Nelliampathy through Govindamala,” said Dr. Sanal Kumar.
Although officials of the State Archaeology department had visited Kollengode in recent times, the government has not launched any definite initiatives. Archaeological explorations made in 1990 and 1998 in Nenmeni Kovilakam compound, which was the headquarters of ancient Venkundranadu, had discovered many inscriptions from a well.
“During the research I did in the last two decades in the region, I could lay my hands on innumerable findings throwing light on the Chera-Chola connections the Thenmala valley had in those times,” said Dr. Sanal Kumar. He is preparing to publish his findings in the form of a book. He said conferring heritage status on Kollengode would open the tourism potential of the village.
