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Kuthampully to weave
its way on to the
country’s tourism map
Kuthampully, a small handloom village situated on the banks of
the Bharatapuzha, will soon find a place on the country’s tourism
map.

Published: 08th July 2019 03:17 AM  |   Last Updated: 08th July 2019 04:57 AM
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A traditional weaver at the Kuthampully handloom village | Express

By Dhinesh Kallungal
Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  Kuthampully, a small handloom

village situated on the banks of the Bharatapuzha, will soon find
a place on the country’s tourism map. The state government has
decided to develop the hamlet known for its exquisite sarees into
a tourist destination. A feasibility study in this regard is also on
the cards.

Kuthampully sarees, distinguished by its beautiful borders, has

exclusive Intellectual Property Rights through Geographical
Indication Act (GI). Speaking to Express, Rupesh Kumar, state
coordinator of Responsible Tourism (RT) Mission under the
Tourism Department, said the mission has decided to bring the
weavers’ village on to the tourism map under ‘PEPPER’ (People’s
Participation for Participatory Planning and Empowerment
through Responsible Tourism) project.

RT Mission will provide the village in Thiruvilwamala panchayat

in Thrissur a platform for selling its GI-tagged products to a
global audience. Further, the mission is planning to promote
experiential tourism beyond sight-seeing. It will promote
homestay facilities in the village so that tourists can reside with
weavers and witness ancient weaving techniques.

Community training
The mission is also planning to provide community training to
weavers to help them interact with tourists. It has also provided
them with a space on its website to market their products, he
said. 
Villages near Kuthampully are slated to get a facelift as they are
also listed as tourist destinations. For instance, the famed
Thiruvilwamala Vilwadrinatha temple, Punarjani cave where
devotees crawl in and Iivor Madom will also be enlisted under
the project. The state government has sanctioned `78 lakh for
developing 10 places under PEPPER project, an official said.  

Kuthampully weavers belong to the Devanga community. Their

forefathers migrated from Mysuru to the village 500 years ago at
the invitation of the ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Kochi.
Despite getting a GI tag, Kuthampully weavers are struggling to
stay afloat like many weaving communities because of poor
market patronage. Many youngsters of the community have gone
in search of greener pastures.

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