The Lepcha house. A Telegraph picture

Kalimpong, Aug. 11: After serving as a home for 300 years, a timeless piece of Lepcha architecture at Kashyone village, about 6 km from Pedong, is set to graduate to a heritage haunt.

The Damsang Environment Conservation Eco Tourism Organisation, which works for the promotion of eco-tourism in Pedong and its outskirts, has chalked out plans to convert the homestead into a museum that will also provide accommodation to tourists visiting the area.

“Maintaining the age-old structure is an expensive proposition and the owners are not up to it. Every three years, the roof has to be changed. This costs around Rs 10,000 and the owners cannot afford to spend such a large amount,” said Sebastian Lepcha, director of the organisation. “So, we have planned to convert the house into a museum and also provide lodging for tourists. This way, the owner of the house can earn some money and it will ensure that the Lepcha heritage is preserved.” As for the visitors, they can also taste traditional Lepcha cuisine, delicacies that are gradually dying out.

The museum, which will show the culture of the Lepcha community, will be another attraction for the tourists who come here. “We will be putting different items, like the mortar and stone grinder and the clothes that the Lepchas used to wear earlier, on show in the house to give visitors an insight into the rich cultural heritage of the tribe,” he said.

Work has already begun on the facelift. “We will try to complete the makeover by October, after which, it will be opened to the public,” Lepcha said.

The house Lepcha said, was an architectural splendour. Not a single nail is used to hold the structure together. Made entirely of wood — it take around 50 trees to construct only the façade — it would cost around Rs 10 lakh to build such a house.

“Each plank of wood fits neatly into a groove to form an intricate system that can stand on its own. The traditional Lepcha house is earthquake resistance and is not damaged even by landslides,” Lepcha said.

Without a foundation, the house “simply shifts with the moving earth”. “Experts who build such houses can easily shift it back to its original place,” he added.