|
|
|
| March 14, 2002 | Thursday | Zilhaj 29, 1422 |
Car rally organizers vandalize monument
LAHORE, March 13: Maharaja Ranjeet Singh’s exquisite marble pavilion at Hazoori Bagh was vandalized on Wednesday by sponsors of an antique car rally.
The sponsors included Tourism Development Corporation of the Punjab.
Wall panels and ceiling of the 19th century monument were pierced by steel nails to hang banners, streamers and floral decoration. The floor was left littered as event managers, including TDCP personnel, did not stop to dispose of the waste.
The TDCP contractors had ‘taken over’ the Sikh-period “baradari” on Tuesday evening without seeking permission from the Archaeology Department.
A senior department official collected pieces of white marble from the spot on Wednesday. He said the department had written to the TDCP to protest its irresponsible conduct. He also said a report would be sent to the federal government.
The letter addressed to the TDCP on Wednesday said driving nails into “baradari” structure, a protected monument, was illegal. It pointed out that the monument could not be used for commercial purposes and sought an explanation for TDCP’s failure to obtain prior permission.
TDCP admitted “impropriety” saying a formal permission from “should have been obtained” from the Archaeology Department. TDCP general manager Tariq Shah, however, told Dawn “the damage is not so big as is being claimed.” He also said a remedy was available.
The Hazoori Bagh and the marble “baradari” were raised by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh to celebrate capture of the Koh-i-Noor from Afghan prince Shah Shuja. On completion in AD 1818, this was a two-storey building, measuring 45 feet on all four sides. It also had basement chambers. The upper storey was a smaller structure having exactly the same design as the existing building.
The building, a blend of the Hindu and Muslim architecture, is easily the best of the Sikh period. Its exquisite structure and stucco tracery of the ceiling inlaid with small convex mirrors was reckoned at that time to be a true replica of the Shish Mahal.
Marble for the building was torn from several Mughal monuments in Lahore, particularly mausoleums. The