International workshop on heritage-based local development of Chettinad

The workshop, being held in Karaikudi, Chettinad, from May 2-4 2007, is organized by UNESCO in the framework of the Network of Indian Cities of Living Heritage, and in cooperation with the State of Tamil Nadu, the French NGO Architectural Heritage-Safeguard (ArcHe-S) and the Chettinad Heritage Committee.

The workshop in Karaikudi will explore ways of developing the Chettinad region using its heritage as both a resource and focal point to generate employment and socio-economic development.

The towns and villages of the Chettinad region in Tamil Nadu feature some of that state’s most distinctive architecture, but it is a heritage under threat from population decline and culturally insensitive development. A three-day International Workshop on the Heritage-Based Local Development of Chettinad seeks to find ways to reverse this trend.

Chettinad grew to fame in the 19th century as the home of traders and financiers who were highly successful in business throughout Southeast Asia. Their great wealth led them to construct palatial homes in their native towns and villages. Built on raised mounds, these houses included verandahs, reception rooms and elegant halls built around successive courtyards. The architecture combines Tamil vernacular with Western influences, and materials and workmanship from around the world were used.

The economic decline of Chettinad, which began about sixty years ago, led to migration away from the region and the abandonment of many of the houses. Today’s Chettiars number about 110,000 people living in two towns and 73 villages scattered across the region. Approximately one third of the houses have been destroyed. Of those that remain, fewer than 10% are currently occupied, and the rest are endangered.

The workshop in Karaikudi will explore ways of developing the Chettinad region using its heritage as both a resource and focal point to generate employment and socio-economic development. Discussions on conservation, protection, capacity building, heritage education and the development of tourism will be led by experts in the field, including representatives of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH); members of the architecture departments of Anna University in Chennai and NIT Trichy; and experts from ArcHe-S, the Ecole de Chaillot in Paris (a leading educational institution for architectural conservation) and the Government of France.

The building of local capacities needed for the preservation of the Chettinad region will be discussed on three levels: institutional, academic and professional. Representatives of local, district, and state governments will discuss cooperation between their programmes for heritage-based local development, including the participation of the Chettiar community.

UNESCO launched the Network of Indian Cities of Living Heritage in September 2006 to connect cities and towns in India that wish to make their heritage a key resource for their development. The Network currently links 12 Indian cities and an equal number of NGOs with experience in urban conservation and sustainable infrastructure development. Several European cities are part of the Network, and city-to-city partnerships are being prepared. Universities in India and Europe have been recruited to contribute knowledge about the historic places and to build the capacities of architects, planners, engineers and city administrators in urban conservation and heritage-sensitive development.


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• Source:UNESCO New Delhi
• 30-04-2007