Two years later, Narnaul's historical monument Jal Mahal remains dry

Ravinder Saini

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Mahendragarh, March 19

The pond of Jal Mahal, a historical monument in Narnaul, has remained dry for the past around two years, leaving locals and tourists disappointed. Water was drained out from the pond after a partition wall collapsed due to its high flow. Though the local authorities had prepared a plan to rebuild the wall over a year ago, it was yet to be executed.

Built over 11 acres in 1591 during the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s regime, Jal Mahal is known for its historical milieu and wonderful architecture. It is also among those 75 historical monuments of the nation, which are being developed as ‘Adarsh Smarak’ by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in order to upgrade the existing facilities at such tourist spots.

“Our relatives from Rajasthan visited Jal Mahal, but they had to face disappointment after finding its pond dry. We, too, did not visit the monument in the past two years due to the Covid pandemic. Hence, did not know about its present condition. Jal Mahal is nothing without water. Hence the authorities concerned should pay attention towards it,” said Rajender Yadav of Mahendragarh city.

Dharmendra of Narnaul said there were two ponds on the Jal Mahal campus. “The wall that has collapsed divided both the ponds. There is no need to build it again when both the ponds are to be filled with water. It is beyond understanding why the authorities want to construct the wall, which has no use,” he added.

Ratan Lal Saini, district convener, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, said, “People from many states visit Jal Mahal. They return disappointed after finding no water in the pond. So, water should be filled in the pond at the earliest.”

An official on the condition of anonymity said the construction of wall would cost Rs 30 lakh. The project would likely be approved by the ASI in the next fiscal, he added.

Amit Kumar, Junior Conservation Assistant, ASI, said the design of the partition wall was approved by the NIT, Kurukshetra, from technical points of view. “Now, the design and budget estimate has been sent to the headquarters for the sanction. It will take at least three months to build the wall on getting the required fund. Locals are persistently raising the demand for filling the pond,” he said.

On being asked about the benefits of the wall, the JCA said since the wall was mentioned in the history hence, it was necessary to construct it so as to keep the old structure of the monument intact.

“A new building with a library, canteen and modern toilets has been constructed to provide basic facilities near the monument,” he added.