Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue suffers neglect
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, January 28
Poor maintenance of the statue of the legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the historic Ram Bagh has given the statue a shabby look.
Commuters and tourists visiting the historic bagh are shocked to find the statue in a deplorable condition. A city resident, Kulwant Singh, said it was an eyesore and it deeply hurts to see a rag thrown around the neck of the statue of the Maharaja who is seen sitting on horseback.
He said the Maharaja enjoyed a unique position in the Indian history in general and Sikh history in particular. He was instrumental in uniting the divided Punjab and attacked the neighbouring Afghanistan from where maximum invasions to India had originated during the late middle-age period.
He said it was an irony that the same ruler was not being given befitting respect and status.
Notably, the statue is installed in the ruler’s Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is under renovation. Already, inordinate delay in the preservation work or lack of a professional approach in the work has earned the Departments of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab, involved in the palace’s conservation, the flak of the visitors. The beautiful fresco adorning the four walls of a room on the terrace of the Summer Palace has been ruined.
Before the restoration work started in 2007, the department used to run a museum on the ground floor of the heritage structure while the terrace remained neglected. It was converted into a museum in 1975.
The rare fresco which depicts Lord Krishna during Raasleela has been damaged which has not only upset heritage lovers but also raised eyebrows about the seriousness of the government in preserving the invaluable heritage.
The structure is at present under the possession of the Department of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab. It was entrusted with the work in 2007. The historic structure was declared a monument of national importance in October 2004.
However, it was never handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The tussle between the ASI and the Tourism Department over the possession of this immensely significant historic structure has adversely affected its maintenance.
In addition, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama is also functioning from Ram Bagh. Another city resident, HS Dawar, said this casual and a lax approach was visible going by the low popularity of the Panorama among tourists.
