Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will dedicate the first phase of Kerala Arts & Crafts Village at Vellar near Kovalam here on January 16, as a sprawling campus to promote and showcase Kerala’s vibrant art and cultural heritage.

Spread around 8.5 acres of panoramic locale, the village has been designed and implemented by Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society Ltd (ULCCS Ltd) for Kerala Tourism Department. The purpose is to make the village an ideal destination for visitors and art buffs to enjoy the best of Kerala's traditional, folk and ethnic art, craft and performing traditions. ULCCS has completed the first phase of the project at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran would preside over the inaugural function. "Kerala Martial Arts Academy floated by the state government to preserve and promote centuries old Kalaripayattu will also be housed in the Arts and Crafts Village," Surendran said. The key features of the complex include an amphitheater, museums, studios for craftspeople to work and an art gallery enabling the visitors to have a hands-on feel of the rich and diverse heritage of Kerala handed down through centuries.

Ms. Usha Thakur, Minister for Tourism, Madhya Pradesh, along with a team of officials from her state visited the Village on Wednesday. Ms. Thakur on Wednesday formalized a pact with the Kerala Government for replicating the state’s pioneering Responsible Tourism model in Madhya Pradesh.

Gods own Country suffered Rs 1.56-La-Cr revenue loss due to pandemic

Madhya Pradesh signs MoU with Kerala to adopt its model responsible tourism

Theatres in Kerala reopened with Vijay's Master’s Tamil Flick