Two of nine military huts survive at Ambalavayal in Wayanad

Background

The two huts stand near the Heritage Museum at Ambalavayal in Wayanad and are being opened to visitors. They are what is left of a military complex of nine such structures built during British rule. The huts went up under the supervision of an officer named Nisan and served as military barracks. Modelled on Japanese architecture, each has a stone foundation about a metre high and a semi-circular roof of thin metal sheets. The huts gave accommodation to soldiers and storage space for ammunition during both World Wars. Two of the nine survived; the state archaeology department took them over in 2005 and they were restored at a cost of around Rs 8 lakh. They also served as a place to treat patients with infectious diseases, then as a hospital, an anganwadi and a primary school. They are considered to be among the largest complexes of Nisan Huts in South India.