KOCHI: The Museum of Kerala History at Edappally, eight kilometers away from the city, has on display over 200 original paintings — possibly the largest private collection of rare paintings in Kerala.

The board of trustees, managing Madhavan Nayar’s personal collection since the connoisseur’s death in 1996, has said that renovation work on the museum would begin soon.

Brig. R.B. Nayar, the managing trustee and Madhavan’s brother, said the board was trying to enhance the museum whenever possible with the revenue the museum earned through ticket sales.

“Some of the historical sketches have to be refurbished. Historian M.G.S Narayanan has offered his comments and we are in the process of touching up here and there, probably amending the presentation where necessary to lend the entire offering the class it deserves,” he said. “I would say the collection is priceless.”

On display at the gallery are works of Indian contemporary art (paintings and sculptures) spanning the last 200 years categorized into the “Matured” Bengal School, the Progressive Artists Group, Indian Abstract Act, Narrative Painters and the Symbolic-Mystical Style.

The gallery foyer has a 125sq ft mural depicting an episode from the 4th Century Indian epic by Kalidasa — “Shakuntalam” — one of the largest in Kerala done in traditional Kerala style by Mummiyur Krishnankutty Nair and his team.

One of the chief attractions of the museum, set up in 1987, is a light-and-sound show on 87 personalities who shaped the history and culture of Kerala over the last two millenniums.

The light and sound show has been featured every day for the past two decades to enlighten hundreds of visitors on the sociopolitical history of the tiny southern state.

The fascinating story — beginning from the early peoples to the modern age interspersed with social, cultural and literary facets — is told in 55 minutes, both in English and Malayalam, with songs from Jesudas and other prominent singers of the state embellishing the show. It also features events like the Aryan immigration and of course, Kerala’s own Kathakali, Kalari, Mohiniyattam and Vallamkali.

“When Madhavan Nayar first learned history at school, it was all about Magna Carta and William the Conqueror. The little boy wondered why he had to bone up on what had happened beyond his shores when there was little about his own state,” explains Brig. Nayar.

“When he grew up, he single-handedly set up this museum on the outskirts of Kochi and spent all his resources to keep it going till his death in 1996. We find it increasingly difficult to generate resources but we are committed to keep the show going — the museum, gallery of paintings and sculptures and the center for visual arts, all under the foundation, that bear the stamp of a great connoisseur.”

The complex also houses a dolls’ museum with a collection of 150 dolls representing people living in various parts of India through their attires, hairdos and jewelry.

And a couple of paintings are by Francis Newton Souza whose “Birth” set a record this month for an Indian work of art by fetching a price of $2,519,762 at an auction of South Asian art at Christie’s. M.F. Hussain’s “Faces” and Raja Ravi Varma’s “Reverie” also adorn the gallery.

One can also see works of the Tanjore school of painting, patachitras from Orissa, where the paintings are done on palm leaves and cloth, besides paintings by contemporary masters such as Nandalal Bose, Jamini Roy and K.G. Subramanian.

Madhavan started his career as a clerk with Sir Robert Bristow, a British harbor engineer who dredged a sandbar obstructing Kochi port and created Willingdon Island, which now hosts a port, an airport, Naval base and a host of corporate offices and star hotels.

Later, Madhavan set up his own marine export business and traveled throughout the world exploring markets for Indian seafood.