Mubarak Mandi complex

Great nations have a strong sense of history and urge for preservation of their historical and cultural fund. History is usually preserved as a written document. But the manifestations of its art and heritage are tangible objects that need to be preserved physically and in origin. This is part of visual history of a nation more absorbing than the oral history. Great nations have lavishly spent money for the preservation of its visual items of cultural history. In modern times, the science of preservation of heritage and creation of museums to house the rich fund of ancient and modern culture is developed with great efficiency.
The State of Jammu and Kashmir as we know it today was actually brought into its physical and territorial existence by Maharaja Gulab Singh way back in 1846 after these territories were given in his change. He carried expeditions northward right up to Tibet to the north-east and Gilgit and Chitral to north-west and succeeded in carving out a vast Himalayan Kingdom then named Riyasat-e Jammu wa Kashmir wa Ladakh wa Tibet Ha. Yes, some of its borderlines then remained un-demarcated owing to harsh geographical and topographical conditions. Jammu being the home of the Dogra rulers became the capital of Dogra Kingdom, though with the passage of time, Srinagar also assumed the status of summer capital. Along with many attributes that come to a capital city in due course of time, Mubarak Mandi in Jammu proper became the seat of the Dogra rulers. It actually flourished as a complex in which, besides the royal palaces, the civil secretariat and the judiciary also found space and establishment.  Dogra royalty went on adding structures to the complex with the passage of time. Four generations of Dogra rulers embellished the complex in their own way, each generation adding to its decorative grandeur. A Museum and repository came up with the passage of time.  The remarkable Dogra Art Museum is one of the richest museums in the country whose building contains   precious   collection   of   Dogra   art and   miniatures, manuscript of various eras, coins, jewellery, portraits and oil paintings etc. In all the objects number around 7320 and a reference library contains a rich treasure trove of about 2600 books. The repository of the old secretariat houses enormous fund of files and documents including the valuable material of the High Court which was housed there for a long time.
After the State passed from the hands of the Dogra rulers into the hands of the popular government, the question arose who should take care of this rich heritage and how. Without going into the tortuous history of this heritage, it continued to remain the headquarter of the State Secretariat till a new Secretariat building was raised away from it. However, some of the departments and the High Court continued to remain housed in the Mubarak Mandi Complex for a long time till these, too, were given new space elsewhere. The Complex passed into the hands of the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums. Protection and preservation of this huge complex needed adequate funds which were not forthcoming with the result that decay set in and the complex began losing its grandeur and status. Now the situation has come to a stage where the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums, in whose charge the complex is given, has categorically stated that the structure is unsafe for work or for housing the museum and the archives.
A PIL has been filed with the State High Court praying for orders of protecting and preserving the Mubarak Mandi heritage complex and the priceless artifacts and other items deposited in the repository. The Court has considered the entire matter in its historical, cultural and emotional aspects. Its observation is that the art collections at the Dogra Art Museum and the court records are of great value and need to be preserved and protected, as is evident from reply to the RTI application which says that except basic preservation method like using of naphthalene balls and anti termite treatment, the heritage museum like all other old buildings is suffering from insufficient staff, lack of proper maintenance and funds.
We highly appreciate the pragmatic approach of the High Court in constituting a Committee to examine and suggest measures of preserving Mubarak Mandi heritage complex and objects kept there. The committee comprises Senior.  The Court order has fixed timeline for conducting the survey and submitting the report by the beginning of third week of August.  This order from the High Court has come as big relief to the people of Jammu region who have historical, cultural and emotional attachment with the Mubarak Mandi Complex. The fact is that it is a valuable heritage of the people of the State and also reflects a number of interesting facets of history of our State. Preservation of valuable artifacts in the Dogra Art Museum asks for highly sophisticated treatment of preservation according to modern scientific ways. The tapestry and the miniature paintings have to be protected against weathering and aging. Manuscripts have to be treated in a scientific manner so that their contents are not lost to us. Thousands of books preserved in the repository have to be indexed or digitalized and made use of by researchers according to modern norms of access to valuable material. We hope the Committee will take all these aspects into consideration and will submit a workable report and thus save this rich heritage from dilapidation.

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