International Workshop for the
Safeguarding & Development of Chettinad
Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India
2-4 May 2007
Draft Action Plan for the
Protection, Conservation and Development
of the Chettinad Region
prepared by
ArcHe-S
for
UNESCO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chettinad, the Land of the Chettiars:
A unique and little-known heritage
-P3
The Current Situation in Chettinad:
From occupation to demolition
-P5
Initiatives for Change: Stopping the process of destruction to
start the process of development
-P6
Revive Chettinad Development Project:
Combining Economic Vitality, Creativity and the
Protection of Heritage – A proposal by ArcHe-S
and the Chettinad Heritage Committee
-P8
Creation of a Sector Protection and Development Plan
-P9
Restoration and Adaptive Re-use:
Living in the palaces for their protection
- P 11
The Heritage House and the Heritage Centre:
Tools for shaping the future
- P 12
The Ecomuseum: Preserving and displaying a
representative collection
- P 13
The Centre for Training and Production of Handicrafts and
Applied Arts: Starting a virtuous cycle
- P 14
The Centre for International Exchange:
A catalyst for demonstration cases
- P 15
Cultural Tourism: Opening-up to the world
- P 16
The Next Steps
- P 17
2
Chettinad, the Land of the Chettiars:
A unique and little-known heritage
The tangible and intangible heritage of Chettinad is exceptional. This heritage has three
dimensions:
1. Territorial
Chettinad is a semi-arid zone of 1,550 square kilometres in the heart of Tamil Nadu (South
India). It is inhabited by 110,000 Chettiars who are spread over two cities and 73 villages.
Since the foundation of these settlements, the Chettiars have upheld a vision of urban
planning and development which makes this area unique.
2. Historical
The Chettiars belong to a lineage of wealthy traders and financiers who made their fortunes
by extending their business to the whole of Southeast Asia, particularly during the 19th
century, when they were at the peak of their economic power. Their recent history is closely
linked to the sweeping changes that took place in the middle of the 20th century in this vast
region.
3. Urban and Architectural
As a result of their travels, the Chettiars integrated diverse influences into their traditions
which contributed to their uniqueness. Their villages were unique settlements that were
constructed following precise and sophisticated rules of urban planning (orthogonal streets,
specific water management, technical innovation, artistic creativity, etc.). These settlements
are also directly linked to Tamil traditions: rectangular plots, houses with an inner courtyard
(with around 4 or 5 courtyards).
Economic pressures and land speculation in the big cities of Tamil Nadu have eliminated
almost all the state’s traditional houses. Chettinad is the only remaining site which bears
testimony to Tamil architecture and urban planning. The houses, which evolved over two
centuries, are veritable palaces. Constructed on mounds, they feature verandas, reception
halls and court rooms situated along a longitudinal axis. This organization mirrors the
structure of the society and the rules of the community.
On the ground floor, the architecture is typically Tamil, while one can see Western influences
on the higher floors. This reflects the way of life of the Chettiars, who knew how to combine
their vibrant traditions with the global economy. In order to build these palaces, materials and
expertise from all over the world were used, adding to the cultural glory of Chettinad.
The Chettinad region went into decline about sixty years ago as a result of major economic
difficulties following the independence of Burma (now Myanmar) and Malaysia. This in turn
led to the gradual disappearance of the urban and architectural heritage. Chettinad is now at
a crossroads: after a prolonged period of growth which resulted in many people acquiring
huge fortunes, the region has fallen into a profound apathy. Its wealthy inhabitants have
moved away to settle in industrial areas and cities for professional reasons. They have
largely abandoned their homes, along with the economic activity in this region that
accompanied their luxurious way of life. The marvellous heritage left by past generations has
progressively been eroded, but the solid materials from which they were built, stand proudly
3
despite the onslaught of time and aggression.
It is not only time that threatens these beautiful houses, but also the lucrative business
around the export of columns, windows, ceilings and decorative elements. Houses and entire
villages are rapidly vanishing, packed into containers headed for Western countries.
Some Statistics
Location
South India
The State of Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai (Madras)
International airport: Tiruchirapalli (400 km)
National airport: Madurai (80 km)
Main town: Karaikudi
Coordinates: 10°10’N, 78°46’E
Population
There are 110,000 inhabitants distributed over 75 towns and villages:
 18 villages with less than 500 inhabitants
 29 villages with 500 to 1,000 inhabitants
 33 villages with 1,000 to 3,000 inhabitants
 2 towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants (Karaikkodi and Devakotai)
Current Status of the Architectural Heritage
 Approximately 33% of the houses have been destroyed.
 5% to 10% of the houses are maintained and are occupied occasionally.
 The rest of the houses are endangered.
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The Current Situation in Chettinad:
From occupation to demolition
Chettinad’s architectural heritage falls broadly into three categories:
1. Occupied residences
Although the owners do not live in the family palaces on a permanent basis, they often have
the means to maintain them. The palaces are used for large, important occasions or
gatherings. There is always someone in the house: either family members, old people,
pregnant women or women with small children who come here to enjoy the serene
atmosphere. In some cases, the external portions of the house are rented out, for example
the porch at the entrance might be rented out to students.
2. Demolished residences
In contrast, a considerable number of houses have been completely demolished and only the
mounds on which they were built remain. All that could have been recycled has been taken.
The dismantling of houses has led to a lucrative antiques business and many architectural
elements (pillars and doors in particular) have been exported all over the world from Kochi,
Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. In 1947 there were ninety-six villages in Chettinad. Today there
are only seventy-five.
3. Residences at risk of demolition
Finally, there are endangered houses, whose number has yet to be determined. Their
destruction seems inevitable for various reasons: lack of financial means or joint ownership,
dismantling for purposes of sale, and damage to the structure. This could totally wipe out the
living evidence of a way of life, and of an extraordinary page in history. This is the category
on which our work focuses.
5
Initiatives for Change:
Stopping the process of destruction
to start the process of development
Authorities
The Government of Tamil Nadu will shortly be adopting UNESCO “Heritage Passport”
Programme in which Chettinad would be a pilot project. The District Collector, who is the
local representative of the Government, supports the implementation of a plan for the
preservation of Chettinad’s heritage and is supportive of initiatives for developing cultural
tourism.
Inhabitants
It has been obeserved that to prevent the destruction of the houses, the owners who can no
longer live in them have been renting them out partially. Continued occupation of the houses
has proved to be enough to prevent pillage.
Moreover, some Chettiars have started the production of handicrafts to replace the current
destructive practices. The inhabitants have mobilised to protect the architectural heritage and
create awareness, by means of numerous small initiatives, which together could have a
significant impact. The initiative taken by a few families has led to high-quality tourism, e.g.
the Bangala Heritage Hotel in Karaikudi.
Foundations
 Muthiah Chettiar
The Rajas of Chettinad have opened to the public their Kanatukkathan house, transforming
it into a museum when the family is absent.
 M. RM. RM. Cultural Foundation
The M. RM. RM. Cultural Foundation collects research material and documents on the
architecture, handicrafts and textiles of the Chettinad region. It actively encourages the
survival and renewal of local arts and crafts and helps them adapt to the evolution of the
market. It supports artisans, particularly women who wish to enter the market.
The M. RM. RM. Cultural Foundation is also planning an ethnographical museum. During
her research, the founder, Mrs V. Ramaswamy, put together a collection of art objects and
objects used for rituals and in daily life. This collection could be the starting point of a
representative collection that could be more fully exhibited in a building restored for this
purpose.
 Dakshinachitra
Dakshinachitra, a foundation which is open to the public, is situated to the south of
Chennai (Madras). Houses from South India – that is to say from Karnataka, Kerala, and
Tamil Nadu (particularly from Chettinad) – have been reconstructed here. Remarkable
work has been done for the conservation of traditional methods of construction.
Ethnographical collections have also been presented. There is also a centre for
documentation of architecture, local arts and crafts. Moreover, many cultural activities such
as concerts and dance are organized. Artists supported by the association sell their work
on site.
6
Historians and scientists
 Edgar Thurston
Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Cosmo Publication, Volume 5 pp. 139-171
 David West Rudner
Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India, The Nattukottai Chettiars, Munshiram Manoharlal
Publishers
A renowned anthropologist, West Rudner wrote a university thesis in 1994, Nattukottai
Chettiars, The caste of financiers.
 Meenakshi Meyyapan, Visalakshi Ramaswamy and Mr. Muthiah
The Chettiar Heritage, published by “The Chettiar Heritage”
This well documented work, which serves as a reference as far as the Chettiar heritage is
concerned, was brought out in 1999 by three experts on Chettiar culture: Meenakshi
Meyyapan, the Manager of the The Bangala Heritage Hotel, Visalakshi Ramaswamy, the
founder of the Rm. Rm. Foundation and Mr. Muthiah, a journalist and publisher from
Chennai. This work traces the history of the Nagarathars, the traditional name of the
Chettiars. It is an exhaustive inventory of the way of life, traditions and rituals from the
middle of the 19th century and gives a complete picture of the evolution of the arts and
crafts and architecture of the Chettiars.
 Robert Dulau
Maisons et Palais du sud de l’Inde, published by the Institut français de Pondichéry
A book on the architecture of the Chettinad palace-houses. The photographs in the book
are the work of Arno Gisinger, and were presented at Galerie 779 (Paris, France) in large
format during a 2003 exhibition.
Habiter en Pays Tamul, published by L’Arnathan
 T.M. Mukundan (Akash Ganga Trust, Chennai)
The Erys Systems of South India
Traditional Water Harvesting
Institutions
The Institut Français de Pondichéry (French Institute of Pondicherry) supported Mr. Robert
Dulau’s thesis (mentioned above) and has put together an exhibition on Chettinad, part of
which is permanently displayed at the Institute. Mr. Jean-Pierre Muller, Director of the IFP, is
keen on supporting a scientific project as an extension of this work.
This non-exhaustive list of initiatives for the protection of this unique heritage reveals the
favourable context and the unanimity on which this development project is based. It is an
ambitious, well-coordinated project, conceived in a spirit of cooperation. We hope this
initiative will result in international recognition of this site.
7
Revive Chettinad Development Project:
Combining Economic Vitality, Creativity and the Protection of Heritage A proposal by ArcHe-S and the Chettinad Heritage Committee
The main aims of ArcHe-S (Architectural Heritage Safeguard), which has established a
partnership with the Chettinad Heritage Committee, are to:
 Identify endangered sites that are unique for their architecture, urban planning, history or
environment.
 Implement a well-coordinated protection and restoration programme, financed by
international sponsors.
 Find economic activities that have a “symbiotic relationship” with the conservation of
buildings and, ultimately, create conditions leading to a virtuous cycle in which creative
activities enrich heritage and vice versa.
 Create an international study group for developing a specific economy that can be
integrated into the fragile context of sites which have a great heritage value or which are of
great natural beauty.
The proposed "Revive Chettinad Development Project", taking into account both the size of
the concerned territory and the urgency of the situation, proposes to initially target a smaller
geographical area and a few buildings that are representative of the architecture of the
region.
These sites will serve as an example and will help to create a general awareness as well as
attract the attention of the public authorities towards the tragic state of these architectural
masterpieces.
The objective is to preserve the structures of heritage value as well as to revive the site by
introducing activities that are useful to the community and compatible with the conservation
of the heritage and which can ensure its maintenance in the long term. Moreover, thanks to
the restoration work, it will be possible to transmit the extraordinary traditions and skills that
made it possible to construct these houses.
Projects for protecting the zone and for the establishment of the Heritage House and
Heritage Centre are the first steps towards guaranteeing the future of this region with its
extraordinarily rich past, and towards putting an end to the current process of destruction.
The proposed "Revive Chettinad Development Project" will be executed in two
phases:
During the first phase, a plan for the protection of the area will be created and put into
place tools for developing and protecting the site. This will involve the creation of a Heritage
House and a Heritage Centre, housed in a restored palace and equipped with a multidisciplinary team entrusted with the task of studying and promoting the site.
During the second phase, a larger development project will be implemented. This will involve
the creation of an Ecomuseum for the conservation and exhibition of collections that serve
as a reference; a Centre for Training and Production of Handicrafts and Applied Arts; a
Centre for International Exchange, with the purpose of finding synergies between creativity
and the conservation of heritage; and the development of cultural tourism.
8
Creation of a Sector Protection and Development Plan
Collection of data
This phase will include:
 Formalising the general presentation of the Sivaganga district, its development projects
and its expectations with regards to the sector to be protected in the Chettinad territory.
 Gathering of historical knowledge (books, bibliography, iconography).
 Collecting all the necessary documentation for carrying out the survey: cartography,
surveys undertaken by or for the Government departments (archeological map, dossiers of
shelf lists, national database, atlas of landscape).
 Seeking the help of Government institutions and departments that are likely to have the
pertinent knowledge or information (cultural affairs, environment department, water and
forest ministry and inventory departments).
Identification, analysis and diagnosis of the heritage
On this basis and on the basis of a survey of the territory, in close collaboration with the
municipal authorities and an architect specialising in heritage conservation, a team of
architects and urban planners will identify the heritage elements, constructed or otherwise,
old or new, extraordinary or mediocre, homogenous or very different, that are necessary for
understanding the evolution of the places. It will propose an analysis and a diagnosis
concerning the heritage by adopting a planning approach, the ratio between the constructed
areas and land, the urban structures and the architectural studies. This analysis will include:
 Landscape heritage:
- map of the landscape, description and classification of the spaces (structure, entities)
- view of monuments and urban shape
- vegetation (gardens, hedges, alignment of trees, unusual trees)
- other pertinent elements (rural heritage)
 Urban heritage:
- evolution, structure, composition, sequences
- public areas
- private areas, courtyards and gardens
- the height of the constructions and the awnings
- fences
- other pertinent elements
 Architectural heritage:
- buildings that have an extraordinary historical, archeological and architectural value
- buildings that make up the urban settlement and that are typical of the locality
- (typology, structure, exceptional architectural details, materials)
- other pertinent elements
9
Proposal for future orientations
Based on the analysis and the diagnosis and taking into account all the stakes, the work
group will put forth proposals for orientations which will be presented to local bodies and
inhabitants (objectives to be met, defining the limits of the sector to be preserved in the
Chettinad territory, broad overview of the rules). These proposals will take into account all
development plans for the entire sector.
Drawing up and handing over the final documents
The final documentation of the survey will include:
 A presentation report giving the reasons and the objectives for creating the protection site
as well as the historical, geographical, urban, architectural and landscape features of
Chettinad territory
 Draft regulations made up of recommendations and prescriptions
 A graphical document showing the boundaries of the zone
10
Restoration and Adaptive Re-use:
Living in the palaces for their protection
Houses will be selected as per the recommendations of a committee which will study the
architectural and heritage value of the buildings with respect to the objectives of the
programme. The committee’s work will be based on the technical analysis carried out by the
team for the Heritage House, assisted by architecture students, urban planning students,
students of sociology and law. This analysis will include information concerning the
availability, the legal status and the state of the structures of the proposed buildings.
The Chettinad Heritage Committee, an Indian NGO formed by leading Chettiars at the
initiative of ArcHe-S, will take care of the property-related aspects of the development
project. None of the concerned buildings will be acquired: long-term leases will be signed.
Restoration work will be carried out only if the house is totally or partially occupied. The
advantage of this measure is that the local population will be involved in the programme and
the investment will be more modest.
The objective of the operation is to ensure the conservation and evolution of the houses over
a long period of time, as per the recommendations of the Venice Charter on Restoration.
Technical equipment will be upgraded and ecological solutions for water and waste treatment
and electricity will be implemented.
On average, the area covered by each building is between 1,100 and 2,000 square meters.
We have estimated a budget of 45 euros per square meter, that is to say seventy thousand
euros (€ 70,000) for restoration work and seven thousand euros (€ 7,000) for survey and
study per building.
The first phase of the project will be carried out on a palace house situated in Kanadukattan,
not far from the palace of the Rajas.
ArcHe-S has been working in close collaboration with the local and international bodies
involved and with large international institutions such as UNESCO and the World Monuments
Fund, and the French Association des Villes et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire et Secteurs
Sauvegardés (Association for Cities of Art and History And Conservation Areas).
11
The Heritage House and the Heritage Centre:
Tools for shaping the future
There is an increasing awareness in the media about the future of Chettinad, and it is
attracting visitors who are keen to have an off the beaten track experience. It is time to
prepare for the arrival of these enthusiasts, people who are looking for hidden treasures and
an authentic shared experience. It is not too late to take stock of the architectural, urban and
ecological richness of Chettinad. This is what the first part of the project must accomplish.
The Heritage House will receive an international and multidisciplinary team of architects,
jurists and mediators whose role will be to build awareness among the population and the
local and federal authorities concerning the protection of the site. This will be a platform for
exchanging information and taking joint initiatives. The team of experts will give technical and
legal advice and will suggest solutions for adapting the houses to standards of modern
comfort and to new activities in order to facilitate their maintenance.
The Heritage House will also undertake an inventory of the constructed area and the water
and drainage systems, as well as a qualitative study of the natural areas, houses, temples
and villages in order to define a comprehensive strategy for the conservation of the site
(incentives, regulations): conservation plan, town development plan, tourism plans, legislative
and legal suggestions. This will be subjected to the approval of the District Collectors, the
various Panchayats (village councils) and the inhabitants. The team will prepare the dossiers
for classifying the site at different levels: national, federal and international.
The Heritage House will also receive researchers and residential artists and will publicize
their work and contribution through exhibitions and publications. It will propose and explore
the feasibility of future development projects (science, education, tourism). To do this, a
research centre, offices, a library and lodging facilities will be created.
The Heritage Centre will receive national and international visitors and will offer them many
services (utilities, cafeteria-restaurant, handicraft shop, book shop, etc.), practical and
cultural information (site plan, conferences, shows, demonstrations of skills, workshops for
adults and children, etc.) temporary exhibitions for two or three years (handicrafts, history,
customs and way of life, natural and building heritage), and will conceive medium term
projects (eco-museum, centre for training and production of handicrafts and applied art,
centre for international exchanges).
12
The Ecomuseum:
Preserving and displaying a representative collection
In the second phase of the project, the collection of art objects and ethnographical objects
will be enriched. This collection will be displayed for the public, and particularly for tourists
and students, in educational exhibitions tracing the history, traditions and specific urban
planning techniques within the larger context of South India and Southeast Asia, since
Chettinad’s history is closely linked to the major geopolitical changes in this part of the globe.
As we have already mentioned, this museum project is already supported by the RM. RM.
Cultural Foundation. An initial collection already exists and a preliminary analysis has been
carried out on an appropriate building. A detailed cultural and scientific project must be drawn
up as well as a plan for enriching the collections.
Objectives
 Constitution of a collection of art objects and ethnographical objects that serve as a
reference.
 Conservation and restoration of the architectural heritage.
 Presentation to the public made up of tourists and academicians in the form of an
educational exhibition.
 Spreading knowledge and awareness by means of cultural and tourism development.
 Archives for the local population and expatriates.
 Resource centre for those involved in the global project
 An important link for promoting the production of handicrafts. The workshops will be visited
and the products sold to the visitors.
 A cultural centre organising programmes within the premises of the museum, such as the
dances of South India, readings of books by Indian authors, exhibitions of the work of the
in-house artists, etc.
Exhibition Themes
1. History
 The Nagarathar Chettiars, origin and legends
 The Nagarathar Chettiars, a race of merchants in pre-colonial India
 The Nagarathar Chettiars, powerful regions during their peak
 The Nagarathar Chettiars today
2. Territory
 Chettinadu, clans and temples
 Chettinadu, urban planning, water management, villages made up of palace houses
3. Way of life and traditions
 Types of traditional architecture and external influences
 Family structure and rites, from birth to death anniversaries
 Local arts and crafts in Chettinad: Athangudi tiles; Chettinad plaster, frescoes; textiles:
silk, cotton; basket work; wood carving; figurines and sculptures in terracotta;
bronze work; gold and silver work, jewellery; stone sculptures; Tanjore paintings;
concrete sculptures
 Imported objects: polished marble and granite; lacquerware from Burma; terracotta
from China, Vietnam and Burma; ceramics from Japan and Great Britain; stained
glass; enamel vessels
13
The Centre for Training and Production of Handicrafts and Applied Arts:
Starting a virtuous cycle
Just as the proprietors of the palaces turned to artisans all over the world in order to build
them, the project is truly international in its dimension. The techniques to be developed in the
centre will be chosen according to local requirements and potential, but research will also
include countries that are well known for their expertise.
The project will continue the work already accomplished by the M. Rm. Rm. Foundation,
which for years has revived fabric dying techniques. Its founder realised that the artisans who
possessed these skills at the time when Chettinad was at its peak were already
octogenarians, and that their skills would perish along with them. Athangudi tiles and date
palm leaf weaving have been given a new lease of life. Indeed, the splendid silks were
awarded a prize by UNESCO for their quality and the creativity.
Along the lines of UNESCO’s Programme on Power of Creativity for Sustainable
Development, poverty elimination strategy, the handicraft centre will ensure:
 Training, particularly of women and youth, who can thus find employment in the production
units and restoration sites which will not only enable them to improve their standard of
living but also preserve the cultural heritage.
 Work for experienced artisans, thus helping the transfer of knowledge between
generations.
 Training in technical areas as well as in the fields of design, management, commercial
techniques and new technologies.
 Support from professionals who work in the centre on a permanent basis as well as from
invitees so that the trainees can master the technical and theoretical aspects.
 Logistics of production and marketing.
It is important to ensure that the products are of high quality if they are to meet market
expectations. To do this, the production centre will implement a programme for enriching
techniques and developing creativity based on a study of the collections of the ecomuseum
and an international cultural exchange programme.
Similarly, it is important to set up a network of patrons and partners in the countries where
the products will be marketed in order to ensure that production is in line with demand. One
can already plan collaborations with museum shops which sell items to their visitors; hotels;
and with international decoration fairs.
The artisans will also have access to a small “start-up” company so that they can produce
their work independently. They will hire other artisans to whom they will in turn teach their
expertise. The start-up will house the new workshop but it will mainly take care of the
administrative work, marketing and logistics for the time period the artisans require to
consolidate their company.
14
The Centre for International Exchange:
A catalyst for demonstration cases
The workshops to be offered by this Centre will be aim to open perspectives for:
 Economic growth in the fragile context of heritage conservation.
 Diversity of cultural expression in the age of globalisation.
 Forging an alliance of design, science and crafts in order to ensure production that is
respectful of the environment.
 The contribution of new technologies and new methods of financing in order to support
very small companies.
Residencies
Artists, scientists, experienced professionals and students will be selected from all over the
world to form work groups which will stay on the premises.
Multi-disciplinary workshops will encourage exchanges and interaction between the artisans
and the residents in order to stimulate creativity and exchange knowledge and to map out
strategies for sustainable development.
Moreover, training will be given by trainers from all over the world. The trainees will execute
their individual and group work which will combine conception and execution. The work of the
in-house artists will be displayed in exhibitions and through books and documentaries.
University partnerships
The Centre will organise programmes on a regular or permanent basis with universities in
order to encourage inter-disciplinary exchanges as well as exchanges between students in
the same field but of various nationalities. Heritage and architecture schools will be involved
in the first few programmes.
This aspect of the development project will contribute in a significant way to the local
economic dynamics and will serve to popularise this experiment of an economy based on
solidarity and heritage conservation.
15
Cultural Tourism:
Opening-up to the world
At present, the Chettinad region is practically unknown to tourist guides. Only three tour
operators have included the visit to the Raja’s palace in their programme, with a lunch in an
ancient bungalow that has been transformed with great elegance into a charming guest
house. The fact that this region has been excluded from the traditional tourist itineraries is all
the more surprising as South India is very rich in temple architecture (Dravidian temples) but
poor in domestic architecture and palaces. By including this Chettinad region, tourists will
gain a considerably more complete picture of the ways of life in South India.
Indian tourists and international visitors will be a major objective of the project to promote
cultural pursuits that are off the beaten track. The early signs of tourism development can be
seen. Two guest rooms have been created in palaces. The Kerala hotel chain Casino Group
Hotels is restoring an “art deco” palace. The Neemrana hotels group, managed by experts in
the field of transforming heritage buildings into hotels, is studying the possibility of setting up
a small establishment.
The objectives of the tourism development plan are:
 To ensure the lodging of the residents and the trainees.
 To support the initiatives of cultural tourism which are respectful of the natural and
constructed environment. (Respect for the local population and participation of the
communities in the organisation and development of a tourism project; creating jobs for the
local population and fair treatment of personnel, health and security; respecting the
aesthetic and authentic nature of the buildings and architecture.)
 To promote amongst the authorities, the local population and tourism professionals, the
adoption of the 1995 charter on sustainable development, Charter for Sustainable Tourism,
drawn up by the WTO. (Educating the personnel on the environmental aspects and their
role with respect to this; satisfying the expectations of clients and obtaining their loyalty by
giving information and educating them on environmental aspects; saving and/or recycling
resources by putting into place the necessary systems, usage of local natural resources for
raw material and food, using organic food.)
 To create a resource centre for controlling the impact of tourism on the environment and
humans in fragile zones.
 To spread awareness of the region in India and abroad, to organize visits, conferences and
any other programme for promoting the region.
16
The Next Steps
The objectives of the next steps are:
Understanding the framework
 Initial evaluation of the state of the buildings in the territory as a whole, and the diagnosis
of a selection of buildings that can be chosen (in progress)
 Definition of the social and environmental context of the project (in progress)
 Learning about the political and administrative context as well as the procedures (in
progress)
Formulation of a development programme
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Setting up a process of local participation (in progress)
Establishing international partnerships (in progress)
Evaluation of local resources (in progress)
Definition of the organization chart (in progress)
Definition of a programme of operational studies (in progress)
Finding the right tools and people for developing local and international skills (in progress)
Definition of the methods of evaluation
Financial feasibility
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Estimation of the investment budget (in progress)
Estimation of the working budget, expenses/receipts (in progress)
Fixing the time schedule
Evaluation of the expected economic results
Positioning for the future
Estimation of the positive effects after external aid has been withdrawn
Additional documentation is being prepared.
17
For further information, please contact:
ArcHe-S
Architectural Heritage Safeguard
41, Boul. de la Liberté
13001 Marseille
France
Tel.: +33 (0) 6 11 64 05 95
Email: arches@hotmail.com
Chettinad Heritage Trust
Sabrina
118, Santhome High Road
Chennai, 600 028
Tel .: +91 44 2493 4851
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