JAGATSINGHPUR: Once a symbol of local heritage, the centuries-old Kujang tehsil office building now stands on the verge of collapse due to years of neglect, despite a prior administrative decision to convert it into a museum.
The structure originally served as the royal administrative chamber (Khas Mahal) of the erstwhile Kujang state for nearly 300 years. During British rule, it reportedly functioned as the office of a Zamindar from Bardhaman (in present-day West Bengal), who acquired the estate through an auction under the Sunset Law after the great famine of 1866.
Post-independence, the building was taken over by the Revenue department and continued functioning as the Kujang tehsil office for more than seven decades. After the office was shifted to a new building in 2021, a local organisation ‘Priyabandhu’ submitted a memorandum to then collector Sangram Keshari Mohapatra, seeking preservation of the royal structure and its artefacts including swords, shoes, palm-leaf manuscripts, chairs and naval equipment.
Responding to the request, the collector initiated restoration efforts following which a team from the Odisha Institute of Maritime and South-East Asian Studies surveyed the site and submitted a report to the Odia Language, Literature and Culture (OLLC) department. The Rural Works division and a consulting agency later prepared a project estimate of Rs 2.15 crore, which was forwarded to the OLLC department for approval. However, no further action was taken and after Mohapatra’s transfer, the proposal lost administrative momentum.
Priyabandhu president Raghu Sahoo said the administration had earlier acknowledged the building as one of the seats of the Sandha dynasty and agreed to convert it into a museum to protect Kujang’s 500-year-old architectural and cultural legacy. The government should revive the delayed proposal failing which the heritage structure may not survive much longer, he said.
District culture officer Dillip Kumar Jena said no funds have been sanctioned for the museum project so far. However, steps have been initiated to open a library in the building, he added.