Early times Report
Jammu, Nov 3: The Heritage Foundation on Tuesday, 3rd November, 2020, organized a webinar on the theme ‘Mubarak Mandi: Imperial House of the Dogras’.
The eminent panelists from different walks of life expressed anguish over the slow and tardy restoration process. They stressed upon the preservation of the tangible heritage of the Dogras, and hailed it as a glorious chapter in the history of Indian sub-continent, in the background of the Great Game.
Speaking on the occasion, Kirpal Singh, Project Coordinator, The Heritage Foundation, said, “The Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex is no ordinary. Its construction started in 1710, and continued for 200 years. “
Ajay Khajuria, KAS Retd, Former Director Tourism Jammu, Founding Member-Secretary (ex-officio)/Executive Director, Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society said, “Mubarak Mandi is the soul of Jammu region, and should have been appreciated as such. He added, “The adaptive reuse of the heritage complex should be such that the income generated can be put into maintenance and preservation. Also, visitors or those thinking of visiting it, should be able to know about the glorious history at the touch of screen.” Kirpal Singh noted, “It must not remain merely a government project. The concerned should prioritize the conservation works, especially when there is exquisite art work in the buildings. Lalit Gupta, Art Historian, said, “The palace complex has suffered at the hands of Kashmir centric dispensation.
Poonam Chaudhary, Director, Centre for Studies in Museology, University of Jammu, said, “Before tourism, our heritage needs to be in place.
Arvind Kotwal, KAS Retd, Former CEO Surinsar Mansar Development Authority, Former Dy Director Tourism Jammu, said, ‘Jammu has not had a signature event of its own, and no place is better than Mubarak Mandi for it. We can organise various events in the complex space, but with regularity. One of them can be based on pahadi culture and music.”
Deepika K Sharma, Executive Director, Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society, asserted, “We have made every possible effort to freeze the master plan, even then, there has not been a consistent flow of funds, which is a harsh reality.”
She added, “We are exploring solutions for issues like parking shifting of Dogra Art Museum, and Archives.”
The session was moderated by Pratik Savale, from The Himalayan Institute of Archaeology and Allied Sciences, Ladakh. |
