Throwing light on an unknown memorial

UNNOTICED: The marble stone on the museum premises. "FROM this village, 200 men went to the Great War 1914 -1919," states a marble stone erected in the museum at Chembukkavu. The memorial enveloped by grass still stands pristine in the museum but without much knowledge of who and when it was erected. Records show that the museum comprising zoo and botanical garden was set up in 1885 in Sankariah Park, Viyyur. It was later shifted to Krishna Vilas Palace, Ernakulum. In 1941, the present museum was built at Chembukkavu and a house for animals also started. The documentation officer at Sakthan Thampuran Palace acknowledged the existence of the memorial in documents. Meanwhile, Archaeological Survey of India head office in Thrissur circle has started collecting information on this memorial. "We called up the regional archives office in Ernakulam and the research continues,'' ASI officials said.