PESHAWAR, July 26: Archaeologists have expressed dissatisfaction over the ongoing preservation and restoration work on the protected site of Gor Khuttree in the city.
Gor Khuttree, which was declared a protected site in 1982 under the Antiquities Act 1975, needs to be preserved as the temple and the meditation cells are on the verge of collapse.
Gor Khuttree is located on a high spot near Chowk Yadgar and is 700 feet both in length and width. This square building has two gateways, one to the east and the other to the west lie the archway, the meditation cells and the temple of Gorakhnath. Federal government has planned to preserve both gates.
The work on some parts of the historical monument appears more like renovation than preservation. “Instead of new bricks, old bricks should be used, so that the antiquity of the place remains intact and the place should give original looks. Its old look should be protected,” an archaeologist observed.
The preservation work on the Gor Khuttree, which is in its initial stages, continues at a snail’s pace under a five-year plan.
Gor Khuttree and other sites in Takht Bhai, Shangar Das Stupa, Jamal Garhi and Shahbaz Garhi in Mardan district would be preserved under the plan, deputy director of archaeology and museum Bahadur Khan told Dawn.
New bricks specially made for the purpose are being used in the eastern gate and adjacent rooms, the place from where the preservation work started. “We have placed an order to a kiln for new and small bricks which are of the similar size of the old ones. We cannot get old bricks,” Mr Khan added.
The cells and the temple to be preserved would take four years. The government had allocated Rs 22 million for the purpose, he added. “We would recruit experienced staff for the preservation and restoration of the place,” director of archaeology, NWFP, Dr Ihsan Ali told Dawn.
He said that an amount of Rs 25 million was allocated for the museums and archaeology which is sufficient enough for the preservation of protected sites and upkeep of the museums.
Directorate of archaeology and museums plans to construct a museum and establish a tourists centre in the premises of this historic building.
The City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) is not only establishing a park but it also plans to establish a food street in the building. Last year, a dispute arose between the federal department of archaeology and the CDMD over the establishment of the park at a protected area as it was against the Antiquities Act, 1975. But now the CDMD is constructing a park within this protected site.