PWD Rest House at Chembukavu to stay – 300 rupees per day

To stay in a century-old Kerala heritage home for just 300 rupees per day – Is it possible? Yes, it’s possible. Come to Thrissur. This century-old heritage home built during British rule & King’s rule in India is currently owned by Public works department of Kerala government. This bungalow was once the inspection home for Kochi Raja and British.

When Public works department came into existence in Chembukavu, this bungalow stood among all buildings, as a symbol of pride. So, most recently the department decided to renovate the building and give it on rent for cheap rate for tourists and travellers who reach Thrissur. Now this guest house has been made a heritage home by government of Kerala.

Renovation was carried out giving importance to its heritage value

PWD Rest House stands in the heart of Thrissur city, and it stands like a royal building amidst of several concrete buildings. The renovation process was done without damaging the original structure. When it was decided to do the renovation process in 2014, the building was severely damaged with the test of time. Heritage block was decided to retain as such. 1 crore rupees was granted for this purpose. 60 lakh rupees were reserved for Heritage block and the rest 40 lakhs for annex block.

Works were started in 2015, and now it has been changed to a rest house. Roof, steps and big rooms are the specialties of this rest house. A total of 4 big rooms and 3 small rooms are available at this PWD Rest House at Chembukavu.  

Attractive wooden carvings give a heritage look

Roofs and chaarupadi (side walls on veranda) are fully made of wood, and it’s absolutely marvelous and has a classic touch. Staircases too are made of wood, and when you reach upstairs you can see interior fully designed using wood. Damaged wooden parts were removed during renovation process and fixed new ones. The century-old roof had to be dismantled first before this process was done.   

The roof was thatched with aluminum sheets, tiles were fixed on it, and ceiling was completed using teak wood. Thus the building returned back to its glorious yesterdays. Beautiful wooden Chaarupadi in the ground floor and first floor is yet another attraction of this heritage home. For seating in the Chaarupadi, granite tiles were fixed, adding a class look.

Old walls using lime were done cement plastering and painted. Maintenance work was done in doors, windows and wooden floorings as well. All toilets in the building were restructured using modern techniques. Thus the building returned back to its glorious years.

300 rupees rent per day

Rent per day for a stay is very cheap. If you have 300 rupees, you can enjoy this heritage rest house and stay here for a day. The rest house was opened to public most recently in May 2017.

Also read: Irattachira Kovilakam of Thrissur

You can read a few more articles on some of the major tourist spots of Kerala here. Click on the images in the gallery to read