New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday inaugurated the renovated Travancore house situated within a prime 14-acre plot in Lutyens' Delhi. At a function held here, Vijayan said it was the dream of Malayalis living in the national capital to renovate the Travancore House and make it a cultural centre.

"Even before independence, this House was a cultural centre. This complex has been renovated to cater to the cultural sector by amalgamating Kerala's history and rich culture," he said.

State Finance Minister K N Balagopal, SC/ST Minister K Radhakrishnan, Law and Industries Minister P Rajeeve, MPs, Elamaram Kareem, among others participated.

The renovated Travancore House will house five art galleries, a conference hall, a seminar hall with a digital board library, a digital library, a restaurant, a cafeteria among other facilities inside.

It also has a multi-purpose amphitheatre, a video wall, and an outdoor exhibition area.

The Kerala government has spent Rs 23.8 crore for renovation purposes.

The erstwhile Travancore Royal family had moved the union government and various local bodies in Delhi with a request to halt the inauguration, claiming ownership of the 14-acre prime property.

The family has claimed that around 8.195 acres of it was allotted to the Maharaja of Travancore in 1915 for residential purposes at a cost of Rs 1,800 per acre and the remaining portion was purchased by him in 1934 utilising his personal funds.

PTI