Celine’s backyard has a nondescript structure, a crumbling mass of rubble. On closer inspection you can identify a burial mound, which stands as a testimony to the British and Dutch presence in Thangassery during the 18th century.
Located close to the St. Thomas fort, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the relic has been long used by Celine for doing her laundry. She calls the colonial remnant that holds over 200 years of history ‘sayippinte kallara’ (tomb of the white man), an inconsequential pile of stones.
On the opposite side of the alley is a huge memorial structure covered in foliage and on top of another relatively untouched tomb sits a water tank. Despite heritage being wrecked and buried on a daily basis here, authorities seem least concerned.
“Though the ASI took over the Thangassery fort in the 1960s, it later de-protected it. It remained totally neglected for a while and during that period many parts were encroached upon. In the 1980s, the ASI declared it a monument. By the time the fort and its premises received proper attention, many families were living in the cemetery,” says S. Hemachandran, former director, Archaeology Department.
The site has English and Dutch tombs from the 1750s that are in urgent need of conservation, but surprisingly no proper archaeological survey has been conducted so far.
Deplorable state
“The place is in a very deplorable state as the residents have constructed toilets and other structures near the tombs. It is now a settlement with water and electricity connection and I wonder how the city Corporation could allow that. Despite repeated pleas from archaeologists, the government has taken no step to conserve this piece of history,” he says.
The residents agree that many structures have disappeared over the years. Tablets and headstones have been removed and plates with inscriptions have gone missing.
Historical relevance
“It is a huge cemetery with two sections, English and Dutch, both triangular in shape. More than 300 persons have been buried there and it is a site with great historical relevance,” says Manoj Kumar Kini, urban designer who has been researching the history of Kollam. “There was a guillotine among the ruins and its blade was still intact till 30 years ago. We have already lost much due to lack of concern and proper conservation, but it is still possible to restore it.”
There are over 20 families living in cramped houses in the area concealing the tombs and other structures in their maze.
Rehabilitation
“The only solution is to rehabilitate them and they are ready for that,” says Basil Lal Hubert, resident and former councillor.
But the biggest hurdle for the authorities will be to find land as the families are not willing to relocate to a place that affects their livelihood.