Legend had it that there was tunnel below Raj Bhavan, but it wasn’t until the current Governor decided to search for it that the gubernatorial residence finally gave up its secret: a 150-metre passageway and a structure resembling a bunker.
“We were surprised to see a well-built structure,” said Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao. It was his curiosity that prompted officials to break open the wall that led to the bunker. Mr. Rao said a structural audit would be done and a high-level meeting with officials from various departments would discuss next steps. “We will explore all possibilities and take precautions.”
The chamber was opened on August 12, and was visited by the Governor and Chief Minister on Tuesday; mediapersons were shown around the passageway on Wednesday. The chamber is believed to be a bunker — a protected space in times of war — that also stored ammunition. The chamber held 13 differently sized rooms as also stairways and shelves in the wall, possibly for lamps. Several signboards, undisturbed for over 70 years, name the rooms: “gun shell” and “small arm ammunition”. Iron rings run along the edge of the long tunnel and in some places there were metal gates. Ducts on the ceiling presumably led to the outside for ventilation. A drainage system was also visible on the ground.
Surprises in store?
The tunnel was damp and dark, with possible water seepage from the lawn above. It remains to be seen if there are any more secrets below the ground, if the passageways lead elsewhere. “At this point we are at the initial stage,” said Mr Rao. “We have to explore all possibilities.”
Raj Bhavan at Walkeshwar was the summer residence of British governors until 1885, when it became the permanent residence. An 1868 map of the building has no mention of anything underground, neither do histories of Raj Bhavan. Officials speculated that the chamber could have been constructed some time in the 1870s, ahead of the visit of the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward the VII.
There is no evidence yet as to whether the space was ever used as a bunker, said Umesh Kashikar, the public relations officer to the Governor. “We haven’t established anything yet. The government will consult experts.”
The writer is a freelance journalist
