Conservation management plan for Tali temple, Kozhikode

Abstract

Kozhikode is a city in the state of Kerala with great history of maritime trade under the under the rule of the Samuthiri. However, very little of the built heritage from this period remains today. The surviving architecture from this time period has not received enough attention in the research world as the socio-political aspect of the Samuthiri’s rule. What survives today are mostly religious structures as worship continued in these places. Of these, the Tali Temple gains great importance due to its importance to the Samuthiri that he built his palace surrounding this temple and probably remains as the only part of his royal precinct that’s surviving today. The Tali Temple of Kozhikode showcases the traditional temple architecture of the region with extensive use of wood, laterite and granite. The worship at the temple is continuing to this day and the temple is of great importance to the local community. The aim of the study is to prepare a Conservation Management Plan for Tali Temple, Kozhikode. It looks into the history and evolution of the temple in relation to the royal precinct of Kozhikode. Through multiple site visits and semi-structured interviews, it further involves the documentation and condition assessment of the temple. It also examines the concept of Vastu Purusa, Prasada Purusa and Pachaprakara in the planning of the temple complex. From these, the values associated with the temple and its significance in the present day were studied and the proposals were prepared for different levels- building, site and the city level. The study hopes to pave way for further research in the heritage of Kozhikode as well as the eighteen Tali temples identified in the state of Kerala.

Keywords: Kerala temple architecture, Samuthiri, Traditional knowledge, Kozhikode city, Panchaprakara.