It takes a genius mind to convert a craggy, barren piece of land into a splendidly astonishing work of art. As for the Jatayu Earth’s Center, that visionary is none other than the Sculptor Rajiv Anchal. It took 10 years of hard work for Mr Rajiv Anchal and his team to actualize this dream and elevate the locale into one of the most ambitious eco-tourism projects ever in Kerala. Rock by rock and step by step, it passed through several phases across two decades.
It wasn’t easy to get the necessary clearance for an eco-tourism project of this scale, as there were worries about the eco-system that surrounds it. However, in 1999, the clearance was issued when the respected IAS officer Mr Devendra Kumar released the rights and orders for the 65 acres of Government-owned land to build the first BOT Tourism project in Kerala.
In 2004, the Kerala Government passed the order to move the 65 acres of land which was under the authority of the Revenue Department to the Tourism Department. Thanks to the interest and efforts of the then MLA for Chadayamangalam Mr Prayar Gopalakrishnan, the project was swiftly being put on the track.
An important milestone in the history of the Center was laid when the then Kerala Minister for Tourism Mr K. C. Venugopal officially inaugurated the project. Mr Chengara Surendran MP and Mr Prayar Gopalakrishnan MLA were present to witness the proceedings.
Sometimes, destiny plays out in uncanny ways. Mr Rajiv Anchal, who had for decades nurtured the idea of a Jatayu Sculpture in his mind at Chadayamangalam was ideally chosen by an expert committee after carefully analysing all the ideas he received from various sculptors for the project. Thus began the planning of a wonder- to-be sculpture.
The inauguration of the first phase of works that included the sustainable and eco-friendly tourism land was made by Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the then Minister for Tourism in Kerala in the presence of the then Minister for Agriculture Mr Mullakkara Ratnakaran and Mr Chengara Surendran MP, along with various dignitaries.
A project of the scale and scope of Jatayu Earth’s Center demands a lot of capital to be realised. Thus, the Eco-Tourism Department submitted a proposal to the Government of Kerala to call for investors who could help make the project a reality. The Government accepted the proposal. Soon, investments began coming in from various corners, giving the team the much-needed assistance and confidence to go ahead.
Mr Rajiv Anchal, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of Guruchandrika Builders and Property Private Limited submitted a detailed proposal for the completion of the project. The proposal was accepted by the Government.
The Government of Kerala fixed a lease period of 30 years under BOT Scheme and handed over the operations of the project to Guruchandrika Builders and Property Private Limited. The surrounding land and all the amenities too were transferred the very same year.