Thiruvananthapuram | RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Vichara Kendram on Thursday urged the state and central governments to declare the entire Madayippara plateau in Kannur district a combined Protected Heritage Zone, citing its ecological, historical and cultural importance.

A resolution adopted at the organisation’s State Committee meeting held here on Thursday called for the protection of the entire landscape, including Madayikkavu (sacred grove), the remains of Madayi Fort and Joodakkulam.

In the resolution, the organisation said: “Bharatiya Vichara Kendram urges the relevant State and Central authorities to declare the entire expanse of Madayippara, including the Madayikkavu (sacred grove), remnants of Madayi Fort, and Joodakkulam as a combined Protected Heritage Zone.”

According to the release, the laterite plateau in Madayi panchayat of Payyannur taluk has shrunk from about 600 hectares to less than 300 acres because of continued encroachments. It described the area as “a sacred landscape that demands immediate intervention of State and Union Governments.”

The organisation said Madayippara is home to more than 512 documented plant species, including 45 rare and endangered varieties, as well as over 150 species of butterflies. It added that the sacred grove and the seasonal flowering ecosystem are closely linked to the region’s spiritual and cultural traditions.

The resolution also highlighted the historical significance of the site, stating that the remains of Madayi Fort reflect the military architecture of the Chera dynasty, while Joodakkulam is an archaeological remnant of ancient Jewish settlements and Kerala’s maritime trade links.

It further claimed that preliminary surveys by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had revealed megalithic structures in the area.

The organisation said the Thiruvarkattu Bhagavathi Temple (Madayikkavu), under the Malabar Devaswam Board, is “the spiritual soul of this plateau” and that “the protection of the land is inseparable from the protection of this sacred institution.”

Among its demands, Bharatiya Vichara Kendram requested the Ministry of Culture and the ASI to notify the plateau as a Biodiversity Heritage Site, launch a Special Ecological Conservation Plan for the sacred groves and water bodies, restrict unauthorised vehicle use and waste dumping, and recognise Madayippara as a National Monument of Historical Importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

The resolution also appealed to the Malabar Devaswam Board to support efforts to preserve what it described as a sacred historical landscape.

The State Committee meeting was chaired by Dr C V Jayamani and attended by Director R Sanjayan, General Secretary Dr N. Santhosh Kumar and other office-bearers and members.