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Batashewala Mahal opens to public after 4 years
Apr 19, 2015 |
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
Lit up in its full glory, the Batashewala Mahal in Nizamuddin looks like a fortress. On Saturday, the restored heritage tomb was opened for public after four years. The restoration work on the tomb had started in 2011.
The lofty Mughal-era tomb had suffered from inappropriate repairs in the 20th century. The 11-acre structure was refurbished by the Aga Khan Trust with a grant from the US ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
For the makeover of the Batashewala tomb complex, the team of workers used the traditional material and building techniques in order to replace 20th century alterations.
The use of traditional material in its buildings, especial lime plaster, will appear new on the onset but over time organic growth will return on account of jaggery, lentils, egg whites that have been used as additives in the lime mortar.
A proposal will be made to the Unesco for inclusion of the Batashewala Complex in the expanded Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site.
Now, the complex will eventually be connected to the other gardens through the Humayun’s Tomb site museum.
According to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the organisation behind the restoration work, a million kilos of concrete from the roof and thousands of square metres of cement from the walls, ceilings and floors of all structures within the garden enclosure had to be removed to restore the original designs of the Mughal era.
In order to gives its gateways, pavilions and enclosure a facelift, craftsmen also had to restore stone joints in the dome with lime and fill them to make the dome watertight. The collapsed arcade of the garden enclosure wall had to be reconstructed and roof canopies redone.
Craftsmen clocked over 100,000 man days to meet the final outcome of restoring the tomb’s Mughal finery.
Lit up in its full glory, the Batashewala Mahal in Nizamuddin looks like a fortress. On Saturday, the restored heritage tomb was opened for public after four years. The restoration work on the tomb had started in 2011.
The lofty Mughal-era tomb had suffered from inappropriate repairs in the 20th century. The 11-acre structure was refurbished by the Aga Khan Trust with a grant from the US ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
For the makeover of the Batashewala tomb complex, the team of workers used the traditional material and building techniques in order to replace 20th century alterations.
The use of traditional material in its buildings, especial lime plaster, will appear new on the onset but over time organic growth will return on account of jaggery, lentils, egg whites that have been used as additives in the lime mortar.
A proposal will be made to the Unesco for inclusion of the Batashewala Complex in the expanded Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site.
Now, the complex will eventually be connected to the other gardens through the Humayun’s Tomb site museum.
According to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the organisation behind the restoration work, a million kilos of concrete from the roof and thousands of square metres of cement from the walls, ceilings and floors of all structures within the garden enclosure had to be removed to restore the original designs of the Mughal era.
In order to gives its gateways, pavilions and enclosure a facelift, craftsmen also had to restore stone joints in the dome with lime and fill them to make the dome watertight. The collapsed arcade of the garden enclosure wall had to be reconstructed and roof canopies redone.
Craftsmen clocked over 100,000 man days to meet the final outcome of restoring the tomb’s Mughal finery.