LAHORE: The Punjab Archaeology Department has started the conservation and repairs of the tomb of Khan-e-Jahan Bahadur Zafar Jang Kokaltash, Daily Times learnt reliably.
The sources informed Daily Times that the Archaeology Department had started the conservation without consulting the leading experts of conservation in Pakistan. The tomb was in shambles and half of the portion had collapsed as per sources. Further, the sources informed that the material being used did not match the standards of conserving a monument. On visiting the location, Daily Times learnt that cement, sand and gravel were being used in some parts of the monument instead of the original material of which the monument was made of, whereas, a separate site had been set up for the preparation of kankar lime plaster which was the traditional material used in old times. The total cost of the conservation project is Rs 22-26 million and would be completed by December 2019. Talking to various experts of archeology and conservation, most of them denied the ongoing conservation of the tomb.
Talking to a researcher Faizan Naqvi about the history and importance of this monument, he informed that the tomb belonged to a man who was among the nobles of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir’s era.
“His original name was Mir Malik Husain and he was Aurungzeb’s foster brother and a noble in the Mughal court. In 1673, he was appointed the governor of Deccan and had been an important person in Aurangzeb’s court and helped in strengthening his land and fighting battles. Being happy with the services of Mir Malik Hussain in 1674, Aurangzeb gave him the title of Khan-e-Jahan Bahadur Zafar Jang Kokaltash. In 1691, Khan-e-Jahan was appointed governor of Allahabad. Later, Aurangzeb was somehow disappointed by Khan-e-Jahan as he lost an important battle against the Marathas which led to his dismissal from the office of Punjab in 1693. Khan-e-Jahan died on November 23, 1697 and then was buried in Lahore,” Faizan Naqvi said. He further added that the monument was neglected since ages and there was no upkeep of the monument located near the railway tracks of Mughalpura. He lamented that the tomb was in a deplorable and disgraceful condition and the east facade had previously collapsed. He added that the dome was spared but being weak in structure it was supported by a brick pillar. He showed his surprise over the conservation of this monument and said that it was much needed despite much of the building was already lost. He also mentioned that most of the monuments in Mughalpura, Dharampura and GT Road were in miserable conditions and required immediate repairs.
Archaeology Department Deputy Director Malik Maqsood said that his department had multi disciplinary approach experts on board comprising of archeologists, conservationists, engineers and chemists who deal with all the conservation projects. He informed Daily Times that all the experts with Archaeology Department analyse the proposal prepared by an archeological conservationist which later on after scrutiny is presented to the director general and secretary who forward it to the Planning & Development Department. On inquiring about the name of any expert, he again mentioned that there was a committee but he cannot name any.
“The project would be completed by December 2019 as it is a slow process of conservation. We are preparing the traditional mortar for the conservation and also the flooring will be re-laid. We would also be developing the surrounding areas of this tomb,” he said.
Malik Maqsood negated any use of cement or contemporary material being used in the conservation of the monument. He added that Archaeology Department prioritises the work on monuments and those seeking immediate attention are fixed first.
Talking about the conservation of this tomb with the senior architect and conservationist Nayyer Ali Dada, he remarked that although he had not visited the ongoing work but keeping in view the history of archaeological works, previously done conservation projects by them were not very satisfactory as they lacked expertise and research.
“I think experts from Aga Khan should be involved in such projects as conservation is a sensitive task. Archaeology still needs to develop the skills and expertise for conservation and involve in people having the expert knowledge and skills,” he said.
Published in Daily Times, April 25th 2018.