Mural Art Museum needs makeover Mural Art Museum at chembukkavu By Faris Arakkal THE HISTORY of mural paintings dates back to the 9th century. the state though, has no special place to showcase these paintings. Mural Art Museum at Thrissur remains 'safe' though it is not getting any boost. Mural Art Museum maintains a thin visitor's register as only a few people turn up at the museum. Students come to the museum often for their studies. The museum was a part of Sreechithra Art Gallery at the Town Hall. Later, most of the mural paintings there were shifted to a new museum at Ettumanoor. The murals returned when a new museum was built. In 2009, then Cultural Minister MA Baby opened the existing gallery to the public. As mural painting is not a favourite subject for the common man, the museum stays calm and unattractive. Financial aid received from the directorate of Archaeology every year to refurbish the museum is not sufficient to meet the basic needs of the museum. Proposals have been submitted to the directorate by highlighting the requirements of the museum, but it has not yielded any result till now. The museum has some of the oldest murals from Kanjoor Church and they need to be modernised. As there is no mural museum in the state, development and upkeep of the museum is of paramount importance. More art students from different parts of the state will be attracted to the museum in the future.