“The current negligence is a total embarrassment. India has vast resources. It can afford to protect its extraordinary buildings,” says Scottish historian
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The historical monument of Mughal era in Agra city of Uttar Pradesh has reportedly collapsed on Saturday night. The fall of the monument Jahanara Bagh came due to the failure of the authorities to conserve the historical sites.
An Instagram post showing the photos of the monument and its debris put out by Shantanu Jadaun, an independent heritage researcher, has gone viral. Clarion India managed to speak to him to get first hand about the incident. Shantanu visited the site after getting reports of the monument being crumbled.
He said, “I had documented the monument earlier too and It was more or less in intact situation. Two months ago, when I had visited, there was no sign of the monument being crumbled soon but the condition of the monument was concerning. Now, it made me surprise that the whole building collapsed overnight and no one noticed. I asked the locals about it who said they were not expecting it.”
According to Jadaun, the site was the only monument ascribed with Mumtaz Mahal, later inherited by her daughter, Jahanara Begum Sahiba. A significant portion was destroyed in the 19th century, leaving only the two corner turrets of the garden by the late 1990s. The right turret was removed during road extension in the 1990s, leaving the left turret as the only remaining part of Jahanara Bagh.
Talking to the reporters about the incident on Monday, Superintending archaeologist Rajkumar Patel said “Conservation plans of Jahanara Bagh also known as Zohra Bagh were made, but there is no direct approach to the site. Currently, the garden is reached by passing through the Chini Ka Rauza. Conservation work at the site was scheduled to begin after completion of the ongoing work at Chini Ka Rauza.”
The archaeologist said: “It seems that rainwater may have seeped through causing damage to the historical monument. ASI aims to restore the tower to its original form.”
Jadaun, however maintained that the monument met this fate because it was not taken care timely by the authorities.
“There is also a monument Chini Ka Rauza protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) besides Jahanara Bagh. While restoration work was being done there, how can I believe the fact that the ASI authorities are not aware of the situation of the Jahanara Bagh. It was right in front of them,” he said.
He also blamed local people for failing to take care of the monument as they were misusing the heritage site for gambling and drinking as the authorities did not put any restrictions on visiting the place.
“The ASI should have taken protective measures not allowing the locals to use the site for playful and leisurely activitiess. Authorities also showed total negligence in protecting the monument” Jadaun said.
Reacting on the collapse of the monument, Scottish historian William Dalryample said “The ASI needs far more resources than it is given to maintain India’s magnificent heritage. The current negligence is a total embarrassment. India has vast resources. It can afford to protect its extraordinary buildings”.