After losing its sheen to years of official neglect and widespread encroachments, the state archaeology department has taken up the maiden conservation of more than 350-year-old historic Phul Fort attributed to the founder of the legendry Phulkian misl or dynasty.
Located about 40km from the district headquarters in Rampura subdivision, Chaudhary Phul had originally constructed a mud fort around 1640 AD. It was strengthened later.
Phul village was established by the warrior that paved way for the expansion of Phulkian rule in the modern states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh is a scion of the Phulkian misl lineage. His forefather Baba Ala Singh, who established the Patiala principality, was Phul’s grandson.
Assistant professor of history at Government Rajindra College in Bathinda Kulwinder Kaur said descendants of Sikh warrior Baba Phul later established the erstwhile princely states of Patiala, Jind and Nabha.
“Phulkian misl had a huge significance in the Sikh history. The dynasty ruled Malwa belt for centuries,” she said.
Director of the department of cultural affairs, archaeology and museums Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar said conservation work has been allotted to protect the heritage site. She said offices of the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) and water supply in the fort will be relocated.
{{/usCountry}}Director of the department of cultural affairs, archaeology and museums Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar said conservation work has been allotted to protect the heritage site. She said offices of the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO) and water supply in the fort will be relocated.
{{/usCountry}}According to the chief engineer of the state archaeology department Yogesh Gupta, ₹7 crore would be spent for the restoration work.
A spot visit on Saturday speaks volumes of neglect of the heritage site by the state archaeology department. Of the four bastions, two have vanished and most part of the structure has crumbled.
The fort is surrounded by about 20 shops rented by the Rampura municipal council and a sizeable portion of the fort area has been encroached upon by residents.
Official sources said there is no plan to declare it a protected monument as it will require a strict implementation of rules of removing encroachments and prior approval of the local body for any kind of construction in the vicinity of the fort.
As the state agencies failed to take up any restoration work, a group of local youth formed the Phulkian Riyasat Society in 2018 to conserve the crumbled building. They spent ₹16 lakh on the facelift. However, the volunteers erred and a part of the fort lost its vintage value.
Society president Hussan Sharma said urinal pots were installed on the main gate and the fort was used as a garbage dump site.
“Aghast over the gross neglect, we used cement, concrete and painted few parts of the fort. When a top Bathinda district official in 2018 sensitised us against the use of any modern construction material, we stopped all activities. Later, with the support of the local Congress legislator and revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar, restoration work has started,” said Sharma.
Volunteers said the BDPO office should be converted into a museum and archived information about the clan should be displayed.