A Decade of Exploring Past; Empowering Present

“The Department of Archaeology, which focuses on excavation, exploration, monument conservation and archaeological research, the Department of Archives, which focuses on the preservation and maintenance of Kerala’s documentary heritage, and the Museum Department, which takes up the establishment and management of museums as its main task, have devised and implemented unprecedented innovative projects in the last ten years. The Registration Department has provided services to the public in a timely and accurate manner through infrastructure development, simplification of registration procedures and expansion of information technology.”

–Ramachandran Kadannappalli
Minister for Registration, Museums, Archaeology, Archives

Over the past decade, Kerala has witnessed a remarkable transformation in both heritage preservation and public service delivery. Institutions entrusted with safeguarding the state’s cultural legacy—such as the Departments of Archaeology, Archives, and Museums—have implemented innovative projects that honour Kerala’s rich history while making it accessible to future generations. At the same time, the Registration Department has modernised its operations through infrastructure development, streamlined procedures, and the integration of advanced information technology, ensuring timely and efficient services for the public. The Registration Department is the second largest tax collector in the state which mainly collects revenue through stamp duty, registration fee and other miscellaneous fees. The contribution of the Registration Department to the state exchequer during the last 5 financial years is given below.

Fiscal Year Revenue (in crores)
2021-22	4431
2022-23	5662
2023-24	5219
2024-25	5579
2025-26	4355

Simplifying Registration Procedures

Anywhere Registration facility has been implemented to register documents relating to any property in the district at any Sub-Registrar office in the same district Cashless e-payment system has been implemented in all Sub-Registrar offices in the state. Filing of GAHAN, a document to be filed at the Sub-Registrar offices while taking loans from primary cooperative banks, and GAHAN release to be filed at the end of the loan have been made completely online. A system has been introduced to register all land transactions by including the pre-mutation sketch of the land along with the title deed. Submitting applications for copy of title deeds and liability certificates, payment of fees and distribution of liability certificates have been made online. An online token system has been implemented for title deed registration with pre-scheduled time and date. The PEARL software of the Registration Department has been linked with the RELIS software of the Revenue Department to facilitate online transfer of registry.

E-Stamping

The e-Stamping system has been implemented and an e-Stamping portal has been launched. A Digital Document Execution Platform has been implemented to convert the contracts required for obtaining small business loans and personal loans from commercial banks into a completely digital form using the e-Stamping facility.

Digitisation

A project called Preservation and Digitisation of Old Registered Deeds has been implemented to digitise legacy records, make them available to the public in digital form, and scientifically preserve old and dilapidated register volumes for future needs. The register volumes of all the sub-registrar offices in the state since 1998 have been completely digitised and the system for issuing copies of documents online has come into effect. Facilities have also been made available for issuing copies of documents with digital signatures without visiting the sub-registrar offices.

Preserving History

The State Archaeological Department has 192 protected monuments. Out of these, conservation work has been completed on more than a hundred monuments in the last ten years. Under the supervision of the Excavation Division of the Archaeological Department, two phases of scientific excavations have been completed at the Feroke Fort in Kozhikode, which holds a very important place in the history of Malabar. About twenty-five excavations for conservation purposes have also been carried out. The scientific investigation at the Ezhimala Fort in Kannur and the archaeological survey of the Attappadi area in Palakkad district and the Kunjom area in Wayanad district have been completed. A comprehensive archaeological investigation has been completed at the Cheemeni Ariyittapara in Kasaragod district. Unknown ancient inscriptions were discovered, copied and studied. Such activities have enabled the discovery and preservation of many important structures, archaeological remains and evidence in the state. The Department of Archaeology, which has been preserving more than one crore palm leaf records and many more paper records, including the historic Mathilakam records, has started a new project to find and preserve private records. The construction of a research institute called the International Archives and Heritage Centre is in the final stages. One of the notable achievements of this government is the formation of the Kerala Public Records Act. This government was also able to set up a palm leaf record museum using only palm leaf records for the first time in the world. The first Museum Commission was formed in the state. Kerala Historical and Heritage Museums has been appointed as the agency to provide technical supervision for setting up museums in Kerala.

• 13 new museums have been established.

• Six museums have been completely renovated.

• A special conservation lab has been set up in the Museums Department for the conservation of Raja Ravi Varma paintings. Chemical conservation of 53 paintings has been completed.

• A mobile application system providing information in three languages has been implemented for the first time in Kerala at the Thiruvananthapuram Art Museum.

• Idukki District Archival Centre and Heritage Gallery have been set up at Painav in Idukki district.

• 1.78 crore documents, including 1,49,47,730 paper documents and 29,14,234 palm leaves, have been digitised.

• Facility for researchers to digitally examine documents in research rooms through ‘e-Likitham’ software.

• Under the Community Archives project, conservation of documents at Kariyikkad Temple in Malappuram, Chembrasserimana, Puzhamudi Tharavad in Wayanad, CSI English Church in Kannur, and St. Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church in Niranam was taken up. Conservation of 12,000 palm leaf documents at Chakrapani Temple in Thrikkarippur is in progress.

• Cabinet documents from 1949 to 2016 were acquired; 10,22,822 documents were digitised.

• Chemical conservation of 415 maps was completed.

• Manuscripts of famous people like Kumaranasan and Kesavadev were scientifically preserved.

• 2D documentation of 25 protected monuments completed.

• Chemical conservation of Hill Palace paintings, Thodeekalam wall paintings and museum exhibits completed.

• Authentication of 36 coin collections completed.

• Heritage festivals organised in collaboration with the Malayali community in cities like Hyderabad and Delhi.

Major Projects Nearing Completion

• International Archeology and Heritage Centre at Kariyavattom, Thiruvananthapuram.

• Theyyam Museum at Panapuzha, Kadannappally, Kannur.

• International Study and Research Centre at Veluthampi Dalava Memorial Museum Campus, Mannadi.