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Jeypore palace cries for attention

KORAPUT: The ‘city of victory’ and the hill city of the southern region of Orissa, Jeypore, which speaks of the history of a thousand years, may remain silent on its glory if the present trend of indifference on the part of officials continues.

Jeypore is not only a town with great business opportunities in Koraput district, but also the heartland of a rich heritage and legacy of tradition from where following the fall of the Sila Vansi kings, the Surya Vansi kings had ruled over Jayapura kingdom for over 508 years.

The large-sized building and the sky-reaching high gates of the palace are unique in their architecture and design. However over the time, the poor condition of the palace walls has been a matter of concern among the public. The uniqueness of the royal building has been confined to fairy tales retold by elders who had once visited the inner house of the great building, Now, most parts of the palace have been kept out of the common man’s reach while most of the palaces in the other parts of the country have been the centre of attraction for tourists.

The ruling dynasties have left the imprint of their religious beliefs on temples and other places of worship. These places have been witnessing the findings of old statues, coins and antiques which prove the major religious waves that swept this region at different times, Paresh Rath, a local resident and a researcher, said.

It was a ritual for the kings to present idols and antiquities to friendly and neighbouring kings.

The gifts that the royal family got from their neighbours too had remained in the palace for a long time.

However most of them were stolen in course of time, he added.

The palace also had rich ivory craft, life-sized photographs with golden boarders, arms made of gold, silver and bronze apart from diamond jewellery, K. C. Nishanko, District Culture officer, said. The gold-plated towers on the top of the palace and Surya Vansh emblem, which were stolen, speak of the richness of the treasure, he added.

Even when the district administration was carrying out manuscript survey on the cultural heritage and history of the region, the restrictions in the palace and lack of cooperation from some officials in the palace prevented researchers from having a look into the rich treasure of palm leaves stored in the palace, he added.

The recent theft in the palace has given caused concern among local people.

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