Heritage site: Samadhi of Ranjit Singh’s spiritual guide being restored

The site was destroyed after the demolition of Babri Masjid

LAHORE:

“The samadhi of Bhai Wasti Ram (Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s spiritual guide) was destroyed in the disturbances that followed the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992,” Archaeology Department Deputy Director Afzal Khan told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

He said the department had not been able to restore the site since then due to paucity of funds. “We need to continuously look after 400 buildings on a tight budget. Therefore, the department has to continuously monitor the condition of buildings and carry out work to prevent their further degradation,” Khan said.

He said the government had started paying attention to restoring and preserving sites of historical interest affiliated with non-Muslims of late. He said extensive renovations had been carried out at the Katas Raj Temple Complex, the Sher Singh Baradari that includes Ram’s samadhi and the Jhingir Shah Sutra Temple.



Ram’s samadhi was fashioned from marble and adorned with semi-precious stones, mirrors and frescos. Most of the stones were pillaged during the Indian War of Independence in 1857. What remained of the site was destroyed in the wake of the Babri Masjid’s destruction.

Khan said 30 per cent of the restoration work had been completed. He said this included rebuilding derelict walls and restoring the marble on the samadhi’s façade to its original condition. He said work on this account had been temporarily halted as the department’s fiscal year would end on July 30. Khan said work would recommence soon.

Malik Maqsood, an architect associated with the department who has been overseeing the project, told The Express Tribune that the plan to restore the samadhi had been formulated after assessing its condition.

He said the department had taken the counsel of architects, archaeologists and civil engineers to ensure that the site was restored in a fitting manner. Maqsood said the site was an architectural marvel from the Sikh era. He said the department had been striving to restore the samadhi since 2014. Maqsood said the site would be restored in June, 2016. “We are currently working on the façade and the outer area of the samadhi to make it more accessible to the people,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2015.