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German grant for Indian monument

NEW DELHI: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) on Wednesday received a Rs.96-lakh grant from the German Government for conservation and restoration of the 17th Century Mughal-era tomb Chausath Khamba at Nizamuddin here in the Capital.

The agreement was signed by German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek and AKTC project director Ratish Nanda.

“The German Government is proud and honoured to give its humble contribution to the wonderful work that the Aga Khan Foundation is doing to preserve the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of this holy place,” said Ambassador Matussek.

The AKTC will undertake conservation work as part of the Humayun's Tomb-Sundar Nursery-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative, a public-private partnership between the Aga Khan Development Network and the Archaeological Survey of India, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Central Public Works Department.

“We are working on 30 monuments as part of the project. This zone has the densest concentration of medieval Islamic buildings,” said Mr. Nanda.

Chausath Khambha, built in 1623-24 A.D., is the tomb of Mughal Emperor Akbar's foster brother Mirza Aziz Kokaltash. A unique structure built entirely in marble, the monument has suffered severe damage due to excessive water seepage and inappropriate repair work in the 20 {+t} {+h} Century.

According to Mr. Nanda, the monument has “complex conservation issues”. Water seepage into the monument has resulted in rusting of the clamps, which in turn have severely damaged the marble. Past repairs in its domed cells included cementing of broken portions, thereby causing further damage and deterioration of the marble. Also, layers of concrete were added to the roof in an attempt to prevent water seepage. These layers will be carefully removed now to relieve the building of additional dead weight and restore original roof levels to ensure quick water drainage.

“Conservation work will be carried out on the basis of known national and international conservation philosophy. Only the stone beyond repair will be replaced and repairs wherever possible will be carried out,” said Mr. Nanda.

ASI Superintending Archaeologist (Delhi Circle) K. K. Muhammad said that since Chausath Khamba is an ASI-protected monument, the organisation would extend all help and cooperation for the project.

The conservation work is expected to take around two years to complete and will be coupled with facade and housing improvement of surrounding residences.

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