FIELD TRIP - January 20, 2023

                       FIELD TRIP

A field trip is a visit to an area outside of the normal classroom where one can try new things, have different experiences, and learn valuable life lessons. A field trip can be to countless locations where students can see new sights and have hands-on opportunities in a wide variety of experiences. A field trip may be to a location right around the corner or may require a bus ride to a different town. Regardless, the objective of a field trip is to learn, be exposed to a different environment, and be able to try new things.

General objectives of the field trip include the following: 

1. To develop a knowledge about rich heritage and history.

2. To develop self confidence in students.

3. To provide unique opportunities for learning.

4. To devlop co-operation among students.

5. To provide a platform for team work.

                   Places Visited

KUTHIRAMALIKA PALACE

The words Kuthira Malika means ‘mansion of horses’ and the uninitiated may think that the palace is a grand stable built to house horses. In reality, the building gets the name from the row of horses that are sculpted into the brackets that support the roof. The palace, also known as Puthen Malika Palace, is adjacent to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram. It was built by Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma, the ruler of the former Kingdom of Travancore who was a social reformer and poet and musician. It was built in the traditional Kerala style in the 1840s, with pillared verandahs and overhanging eaves.

One part of the palace is a museum that houses many valuable objects and relics owned by the royal family. The celebrated Navarathri Mandapam, which is the venue of famous music concerts, is located just in front of Kuthira Malika Palace. The mandapam has got unique sound reflectors in the form of hanging earthen pots. This sound arrangement has won acclaim because of the excellent acoustic effect it produces.

        SREE UTHRADOM TIRUNAL MARTHANDA VARMA CHITHRALAYAM

Sree Uthradom Tirunal Marthanda Varma Chithralayam, a museum that offers a time-travel through the last two hundred years of Travancore. Conceived by late Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, the museum provides the public an authentic perspective on the history, tradition and culture of Travancore.

The museum, with its rare collections that shaped modern Travancore, not only generates an interest in the history of Travancore but also provides a rare insight into the glittering past of the State. Besides the valuable articles possessed by the royalty, the collection also includes several fascinating photographs taken by eminent photographers including the His Highness himself.

The pictures have been meticulously selected and great care has been taken in preparing them. The photographs have been blown up for effect and are printed in quality archival ink and paintings are enhanced using oil colours, so that they will reflect the real heritage of Travancore. Each image is lit up with mood lighting and is supported by an attractive frame that adds more charm to them.

The paintings and photographs are set inside the royal ambiance of Rangavilasam Palace near Vettimurichakotta in the East Fort. The palace with its splendid architecture is a spectacle in itself. Built in the year 1839 by the then Maharaja of Travancore Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, the palace stands testimony to the splendour of Kerala style of architecture. The ornate roofs, wooden pillars, wood-carved gables and wonderful façade all make it simple, flawless and fascinating. It was the traditional art and picture gallery of the Travancore royal family.

     PALM LEAF MANUSCRIPT MUSEUM 

Kerala Chief Minister(CM) Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated the Palm leaf Manuscript Museum with modern audio-visual technology at the renovated Central Archives, Fort area in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The Museum, promoted as “World’s First Palm-Leaf Manuscript Museum” was set up by the Archives Department in association with the Kerala Museum of History and Heritage at a cost of Rs 3 crore.

The museum is a repository of curious nuggets of administrative, socio-cultural and economic facets of the Travancore kingdom which lasted for 650 years till the end of the 19th century. It had been the Central Vernacular Records Office since 1887 before becoming a museum.

Key Highlights of the Museum:

The museum is a useful resource for historical and cultural studies for both academic and non-academic researchers. The museum has 8 theme-based galleries in the museum representing segments like, “History of Writing,” “Land and People,” “Administration,” “War and Peace,” “Education and Health,” “Economy,” “Art and Culture,” and “Mathilakam Records.”

The museum stores 187 manuscripts at Central Archives and the department’s regional officers in Ernakulam and Kozhikode. The manuscripts span 6 centuries From 1249 CE to 1896. It will be housed in the 6,000-sq ft museum which was arranged by the Kerala government’s nodal agency for museums Keralam–Museum of History and Heritage. The Museum houses manuscripts in ancient scripts such as Vattezhuthu, Kolezhuthu, Malayanma, and ancient Tamil and Malayalam. The 1st phase’s archival material was selected after sorting through a stock of carelessly stored 1.5 crore palm-leaf records from all across Kerala.

It was indeed a great opportunity for the student teachers of GCTE to have journeyed through the history that makes Trivandrum the place it is.

References:

http://www.keralaculture.org/kuthira-malika-palace/440

https://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-article/2013/sutmc-east-fort/435

https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/worlds-first-palm-leaf-manuscript-museum-in-kerala-capital/