The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mysore N.K. Lokanath said here on Thursday, January 4, that the Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) may not be housed in the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion.
He was speaking at a media conference organised to announce the restoration of the heritage mansion with support from the U.S. Government’s Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (US-AFCP) and donation by Harish & Bina Shah Foundation.
In reply to a question, the Vice-Chancellor said though an MoU was signed with the Ministry of Kannada and Culture to restore the building instead of accommodating CESCK, it did not materialise. “The works had to start within a year of the signing of the agreement and the period lapsed while the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion was degrading by the day and hence we had to look for other avenues to fund the restoration works’’, said Mr. Lokanath.
However, the CESCK is functioning from a building on the campus of the University of Mysore and will continue to be there but it is unlikely that it will move into the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion, he added.
While the US-AFCP contribution of $300,000 will result in the restoration of western wing of the heritage mansion which is nearly 120 years old, the remaining portion of the building will be restored with donations from HBSF and the project is being implemented by Deccan Heritage Foundation India.
Meanwhile, a release said the UoM and DHFI are undertaking the restoration of the Jayalakshmi Vilas Mansion to create museum on the cultural history of Karnataka. “DHFI envisions to establish best practices in architectural restoration and object preservation to create an inclusive polysemic museum that is operationally sustainable,” the release said.
