Another danger to Golden Fort residents

By Mohammed Iqbal

JAISALMER, FEB. 18. The residents in the historic Golden Fort here are waiting anxiously for the Government's help to restore the fort to its former glory. The recent earthquake, which has partially damaged the 800-year-old fort, has exposed the people living in the area surrounded by the ramparts to yet another danger. The citadel in yellow sandstone - perched on an 80- metre high hill - has the unique distinction of housing an entire township within its ramparts. The people in the ``living fort'' have been shaken ever since the powerful tremor struck the town on January 26 morning.

``I could see this gate swinging from left to right for half a minute,'' Mr. Vinod Changani, owner of a shop adjacent to the 45- feet-high Hawa Pol, said. Hawa Pol is one of the four gateways to the fort. While two big stones fell from atop the gate, its higher wall developed a crack. Similar cracks have appeared in a number of houses in the fort area.

Another tell-tale mark left behind by the earthquake was the shifting of position of the curved edges of the Royal Palace wall above Hawa Pol. The fort houses five interconnected palaces of the erstwhile Bhati Rajput rulers. The edges of a wall of the main palace shifted from their original position and now hang precariously.

Though the fort residents expect the Government to take up repairs of the ramshackle buildings on a massive scale, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is explicitly clear about the scope of its responsibility. The ASI's job is limited to the upkeep of the fortification fall.

The devastating earthquake, which has ravaged a number of ancient monuments in Gujarat, had posed a new challenge to the ASI, the Assistant Conservator in ASI's Jaisalmer circle, Mr. S.K. Gupta, told this correspondent. He said the ASI would examine the likely damage that a powerful earthquake could cause to the Jaisalmer fort.

The Superintendent Archaeologist of ASI's Rajasthan zone, Mr. B.R. Meena, visited the fort immediately after the earthquake and the Rajasthan zone has sent a report about minor damages to the central office in New Delhi. Mr. Gupta said the problems in Jaisalmer were compounded because of the fortification being a ``living fort'' and the ownership of palaces lying with the erstwhile royal family.

``We are trying to enter into some kind of agreement with Maharawal Brijraj Singh for ensuring proper maintenance of all buildings,'' Mr. Gupta said. The ASI has already undertaken restoration of a portion of the fortification wall near the entrance, which had collapsed under the impact of heavy rains last year.

An ambitious project for conservation and development of the Golden Fort, supported by the World Monument Watch, is also in the offing here. The global body will provide financial assistance for taking up repairs of dilapidated structures, conserving the original architecture and restoring the erstwhile glory of the fort.

The State Tourism Secretary, Dr. Lalit K. Pawar, who visited the fort early this week, underlined the need for reducing commercial activities inside the fortification area. The local residents' yearning for commercial exploitation of the fort by opening shops and guest houses would tamper with its original architecture, he pointed out.

Yet another historic building that bore the brunt of earthquake was Salim Singh Ki Haveli - the 300-year-old mansion of Jaislamer's Prime Minister to Maharawal Gaj Singh, covered with intricate carvings and situated outside the fort. Its back wall, which came crumbling down following the tremor, has since been repaired by the present occupants of the Haveli.

While Mr. Ajit Singh Mohta, one of the residents in the mansion, said the repairs had been done on personal expenditure and no compensation was given by the Government, the Government Curator in charge of Havelis, Mr. Chaturbhuj Gehlot, said the present residents were the owners of the building and the State Government's responsibility was only to ensure that they did not alter the original design.

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