Kerala government and Netherlands collaborate on Cosmos Malabari project.

Why in news?

• The Kerala government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Netherlands for the ‘Cosmos Malabaricus Project’, which aims to illustrate the historical significance of Kerala using the 18th century documents. In addition, the agreement aims to establish painting academics in Kerala’s Kollam and Malappuram.
• The Cosmos Malabaricus project is being jointly implemented by the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), the National Archives of the Netherlands, and the Leiden University in the Netherlands. The project is expected to be completed in six years.

About the Cosmos Malabaricus Project:

• The project focuses on the Dutch documents on Malabar from the 18th century, which are often regarded as the most comprehensive source of information on the period in Kerala between 1643 and 1852.
• It contributes to a better knowledge of Kerala’s political, social, economic, and cultural histories.
• It intends to make digitised Dutch archival material available to a wide range of audiences, international and Indian scholars and the people of Kerala.
• It will be accomplished through the translation and publication of English summaries.
• The material is written in classical Dutch language and is available in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Netherlands.