BHUBANESWAR: The ancient Jamadei Mahal, also known as Rani Bakhri (Queen’s Palace) in Sambalpur has regained its lost glory. Restoration and structural conservation of the monument, located near Maa Samaleswari temple, has recently been completed by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) at a cost of `1 crore. Built by fifth Chouhan king of Sambalpur Baliyar Singh for his daughter Jamadei in 1650, the three-story monument with 16 rooms had lost its sheen to neglect and encroachments.
The building, built in Rajasthani style of architecture, was severely dilapidated when the State Government roped in INTACH four years back to restore it. Prior to that, only the palace’s roof was rebuilt in 2001 with funds provided by the Centre under Project Odisha scheme. INTACH experts used traditional techniques for the restoration work without affecting the original structure.
A mixture of lime, gum of Bael (wood apple), Ritha (soap nut) and jaggery was used for plastering the monument. Motifs inside the palace have been uniformly coloured while damaged paintings were restored and pathways created. The old plaster of the historical structure was removed and fresh plastering undertaken in the entire structure, informed Director of Intach Conservation Institute, INTACH Mallika Mitra.
Before restoration work, encroachment of the monument by a saw mill was evicted with the help of local administration. “The adjacent land behind the monument was developed into an amphitheatre, stage with required illumination and landscape for future use of the premises for revenue generation purpose,” said Mitra. Amenities for visitors like toilets, drinking water supply and ticket counter have also been set up on the premises. INTACH will hand over the monument to the Tourism department later this month.