After restoration work spanning over a year, the iconic blue synagogue — the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue — at Kala Ghoda has got its original colour tone back. The monument now boasts a combination of deep indigo blue and white on the outside and a Victorian-style green and gold from the inside. Restored at a cost of ₹5 crore, the 135-year-old, Grade II A heritage structure will be reopened on Thursday.
“I am thrilled with the results of the restoration work. It looks very much like I had seen it first,” Solomon Sopher, Chairman and Managing Trustee of Sir Jacob Sassoon and Allied Trust, who has been coming to the synagogue since the age of 12, said. “The structure was repaired and painted almost every three years. Each time, it became more and more blue, losing its original shade,” Mr. Sopher said. The monument has been open to Jews as well as non-Jewish people interested in heritage, religion, and history. “We are only concerned about the security aspects. Therefore, we insist on some kind of identity verification before allowing a person inside,” he said.
Opening today: The restoration included polishing and changing tiles, converting the interior to a Victorian sage green shade and repainting golden designs.
The restoration work was carried out by conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah. The stained glass panels, which are the highlight of the monument, were restored by Swati Chandgadkar. While some funds came from the World Monument Fund and Kala Ghoda Association, ₹4 crore was pledged by the JSW Foundation.
“A lot has changed in terms of the colour palette. When we started peeling off the layers, we found different colour shades inside. We have gone by the shade we found in the deepest layer dating back to the 19th century,” Ms. Lambah said.
Over seven layers of paint were peeled off, and the tiles in the main prayer hall were retained and polished, while those on the ground floor were changed to match with the interiors. There was also a lot of seepage in the walls that was addressed. A permanent glass screen with motifs has been placed to demarcate the seating area for women. The interior of the synagogue had changed to a greyish-blue shade and the golden motifs and other floral patterns had faded. The restoration involved converting the interior to a Victorian sage green shade and repainting the golden designs. “We required nearly 35,000 man-days over the past one year. At any point in time, we had 50 to 100 workmen on the job,” Ms. Lambah said. Workers from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra have put in their efforts for the restoration, she said. “The Porbandar stone carving had been damaged over time. That had to be restored using lime plaster with a mix of Porbandar stone as well.”
Chairperson of JSW foundation, Sangita Jindal, said the synagogue is a small jewel in the city that was in dire need of restoration. “We were in process of restoring a temple in Hampi. That’s when we thought why not do something in our city too,” Ms. Jindal said.
