SAMBALPUR: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Sambalpur chapter is planning to seek funds from the state government for the renovation of the historical Raja Bakhri (King’s palace) in the city. This architectural marvel stands as a testament to the glorious history of Sambalpur.
The historical Raja Bakhri was built by King Chhatra Sai in the early 17th century. The two-storey building has around 40 rooms. As per history researchers, Surendra Sai had stayed in this palace for a few days in 1857 when he entered Sambalpur with his 1,500 supporters. Moreover, the freedom fighters had waved the national flag here in the Raja Bakhri during the Quit India Movement.
Sans maintenance, the historical palace is in dire straits. While the first floor of the historical building is severely damaged, the ground floor is also in a dilapidated condition. Major areas of the palace have been vandalised over the years.
Member of Sambalpur INTACH chapter, Deepak Panda said, they are currently carrying out the renovation work of the Victoria town hall and the house of the doyen of Assamese literature, Lakshminath Bezbaroa in Sambalpur city. The work on the two projects will be completed soon. “We are planning to submit a proposal to the government for the renovation of Raja Bakhri now. It will enable us to commence the restoration work on the historical palace immediately after the completion of the ongoing projects,” he informed.
Earlier in 2015, INTACH had submitted a renovation proposal for Raja Bakhri at an estimated `2.5 crore to the state government. “However, considering the current situation, a revised proposal will be submitted for the successful restoration of the historical palace,” said Panda.
At one point, the palace was proposed to be turned into a hostel of Lady Lewis Girls High School to restore and utilise the building. In 2017, the Sambalpur Press Club along with a few other social organisations had undertook an initiative to clean the premises of Raja Bakhri Palace. The cleaning drive was carried out over three weekends and thereafter the premise was used for organising yoga sessions as well as cultural programmes.