Heritage structure in Faridabad to come under state protection
The department of museum and archaeology has initiated the process of bringing Faridabad’s Rani ki Chattri under state protection
The department of museum and archaeology has initiated the process of bringing Faridabad’s Rani ki Chattri under state protection. Located in Ballabgarh, the heritage structure will be the first in Faridabad district to get protection from the state. Other monuments in the region are under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the tourism department of Haryana.
The go-ahead for the move was given by the chief minister last week. Dating back to the 19th century, the heritage structure includes a cenotaph (chattri) and a masonry tank. As per the District Gazetteer, the complex was built by the widow of Anirudh Singh, who was the king of Ballabgarh till 1818, in the memory of her deceased husband.
“We received permission from the chief minister last week and will be issuing a preliminary notification for the monument by the next week. After the notification is issued, we will wait for two months to see if any objections are raised. Accordingly, we shall issue the final notification,” said Banani Bhattacharyya deputy director, department of archaeology and museums. “This will be the first monument in Faridabad that will be taken up by us for protection. The chattri is in a good form and we will be able to preserve it,” she said.
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) — an organisation dedicated to preserving monuments— has also been involved in efforts aimed at conservation of the structure. Anand Mehta, convener INTACH, Faridabad, said that the organisation signed an agreement with the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad for restoration work in August 2019. “We worked on the site for six months after which it came to a halt. After the pandemic, we started work again in November last year,” said Mehta.
Bhattacharyya said that the department would be responsible for the protection and the municipal corporation will have to take permission from the department for carrying out works, if necessary. “Any heritage property can be taken under protection by the department. Our plans will be not affected,” said Bhattacharyya.