The Dewan-i-Khaas, a seventeenth century Mughal-era pavilion in the famous Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar has been restored to its old glory with traditional painted papier maché or naqash work in a Rs 22 lakh collaborative project with Germany.
Fine workmanship “Kashmir has amazing workmanship in the field of handicrafts. The papier mache designs at Shalimar Garden should be replicated in shawls and sold as souvenirs to tourists,” said Dr Martin Ney, German Ambassador in India.
Germany has supported 50 conservation projects across India.
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The Kashmir project, which took three years to complete, saw local papier maché artisans being trained in conservation courses to restore the wooden structure.
Appreciating the German Embassy’s efforts, Minister for Education Naeem Akhtar said, “There is scope of more international cooperation in such work. Kashmir is sitting on a goldmine of heritage sites which need to be preserved.” The Shalimar Bagh was laid out by the Emperor Jahangir (1605-27 AD) and was completed around 1620 AD. The gardens, along with six other Mughal era gardens in Kashmir, have been on UNESCO’s tentative list of World heritage Sites since 2010.
The restored Dewaan-e-Khaas, which is now open to the public, is located on the fourth terrace in the garden and positioned in the middle, with an array of 120 fountains.
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The ceilings and rare naqashi work in both Dewan-i-Aam and Dewan-i-Khaas pavilions have faced deterioration over the years due to neglect.
The wooden ceiling panels had decayed due to wood rot while the joints and supports had loosened over the years with insect and fungal infestation.
The situation was exacerbated with inappropriate conservation and repair work. Saleem Beg, member of the National Monument Authority of India, had earlier expressed concern over “inappropriate redoing of naqashi in the past.”
Close to original “The present restoration is the closest it can get with the original. The restoration saw old-technique paper-maché work on the ceiling,” said Mr. Beg, speaking about the present effort. “All the problems were scientifically analysed and a range of treatments tested to establish the best possible intervention,” said Mr Beg. “The paint layer also was very sensitive, requiring extreme care while removing the discoloured varnish layer. These challenges required a time-consuming process of conservation,” Mr. Beg added.
This article has been corrected for an error.
The previous version erroneously said: “The gardens, along with six other Mughal era gardens in Kashmir, have been on UNESCO’s list of World heritage Sites since 2010.” Actually, they have been on UNESCO’s tentative list .