Bihar Diwas: Scholars, conservation architects highlight plight of heritage buildings in state
Amid celebrations lined up at the historic Gandhi Maidan here to mark the 110th birth anniversary of modern Bihar on Tuesday, scholars, conservation architects and others highlighted the plight faced by the built heritage of Patna and other cities in the state, and appealed to the authorities to choose “preservation and not demolition” for holistic development.
From Dutch-era Patna Collectorate, marked for demolition since 2016, to Patna Medical College and Hospital (erstwhile Prince of Wales Medical College), Bihar & Orissas first medical college set up in 1925, several old buildings of which have already been razed as part of a redevelopment project, heritage lovers underlined the “vulnerability of architectural fabric” of the capital city in the face of rapid urban expansion.
As stage was all set here for three-day celebrations to commemorate the statehood day of Bihar, artists in Patna were busy giving finishing touches to mock-up models of various monuments and heritage sites of Bihar, including, Golghar, Mahabodhi Temple, Sher Shah Suri Tomb, Sun Temple, Deo and Jal Mandir, Pawapuri at the Gandhi Maidan, the main venue of the festivities, where several cultural programmes would also be hosted.
As images of these models were published in press and shared on social media, many city residents were upset over the “poor quality of craftsmanship” in depicting these sites which are “pride of Bihar”.
Patna-based conservation architect Diptanshu Sinha, 25, said, Bihar Diwas should also be an occasion every year to “pause, ponder and reflect” on the “state of built heritage in capital Patna and elsewhere in Bihar”.
“These anniversary celebrations, year after year, talk so loudly about Bihar and its heritage and history spanning thousands of years, and of Patna as the land of Pataliputra. But, how much of Pataliputra have we been able to preserve? How much of modern Patna, we have been able to protect from the onslaught of insensitive development? On Bihars birthday, we must also ask ourselves, what have we done to protect our heritage, that will be a meaningful celebration,” he said.
Sinha, who during college days, had proposed a project in his thesis, on adaptive reuse of the historic Rizwan Castle in Patna, as a “heritage hotel-cum-cultural space”, suggested that “on each Bihar Diwas, the state government could announce conservation or documentation of one heritage building” which will help connect with people too.
Bihar & Orissa was carved out of Bengal as a separate province in 1912 and in 1936, Orissa separated from it. In 2000, a new state of Jharkhand was created out of Bihar. Barristers Sachchidananda Sinha, Sir Ali Imam and Hasan Imam were among the key people who led the struggle for creation of new province of Bihar.
A senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India said Bihar Diwas is a “befitting occasion” for both the government and the people to talk about “heritage in a meaningful way”.
“We may use drones and other technology to represent our heritage, which is fine, but it should complement the real work on ground. On Bihar Diwas, we would rather do well to restore and showcase our built heritage to the world, as built heritage is the most visible face of any society,” he said. The ASI archaeologist also pitched for strengthening “cultural institutions in Bihar, engaged in work related to heritage and conservation” and end what he alleged was “a culture of ad hocism to get work done”.
Many other heritage experts also highlighted the poor condition of several unprotected heritage buildings in Gaya, Munger, Darbhanga, Muzzafarpur and other cities in Bihar, and appealed to the government to conserve built heritage, saying “preservation and not demolition” was the way forward for holistic development. Patna-based Arun Singh, independent researcher and author of “Patna: Khoya Hua Shaher”, lamented the plight faced by the built heritage of Patna and other cities in the state.
“Many old buildings which signified the identity of Bihar or which were built even before the new province was created in 1912, have been lost or in decay. We all must act together to save our glorious past, ancient and modern,” he said.
Several other iconic buildings, including Bankipore Central Jail, District and Sessions Judges Bungalow, Civil Surgeons Bungalow, City SPs Bungalow, New Police Lines, over a century-old Gole Market, Anjuman Islamia Hall of 1885, Baoli Hall, have already been demolished in the past several years by the state government authorities.
In August 2021, a bench of PHC, while hearing a case, had observed: “Preservation of the historical, heritage and traditional values of buildings in the State is one of the most neglected aspects of governance in the State of Bihar.
The bench had further said: “It appears that the intention and will to preserve its history is lacking in the States executive”.
Ansh Raj, a heritage enthusiast, who hails from Kishanganj district in Bihar, said, the Bihar Urban Arts and Heritage Commission — set up in early 2020 on the directions of the Patna High Court when the case of demolition of Patna Collectorate was being heard at the PHC — “must have domain experts” and “it should speak up when a heritage building facing demolition”.
He alleged that the seven-member panel headed by the principal secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Youth of the Bihar government, and having only government officials as its members, has been “silent” on the issue of demolition of heritage buildings of the PMCH.
“I have been associated with the Save Historic Patna Collectorate movement, which has been striving for the past six years to save the Collectorate, PMCH and other heritage buildings from demolition. More such citizen-led initiatives are needed in the state. On Bihar Diwas, we must pause, and ask ourselves, do we want our cities preserve their identities or do we want Patna to become an inferior copy of a concrete-filled city.
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