Nishikant Khajuria
The Government move to convert a portion of historic Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex into Heritage Hotel under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model on Design Develop-Finance-Build-Maintain and Operate basis has raised many eyebrows, particularly in Jammu- the land of Dogras.
Mubarak Mandi Palace Complex not only represents the unique and rich cultural heritage of Jammu Kashmir but is also one of the historical symbols of the Dogra culture and pride. The Government move to convert a portion of it into Heritage Hotel has not been appreciated by a large section of the civil society in Jammu on the plea that it violates the sanctity and emotional attachment of the people towards this Palace Complex, which was seat of power for the Dogra dynasty that ruled the erstwhile Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir for 100 years.
Even as the decision to convert a portion of historic Mubarak Mandi Complex into Heritage Hotel was taken by the Governing Body of the Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society several years back, but thereafter no further steps were initiated apparently because of indecisiveness of the persons at the helm of affairs or some other reasons.
Now the Society has given nod to start an exercise in this direction and also invited Expression of Interest for development of Heritage Hotel in residential palace situated in eastern part of the heritage complex, called Zanana Mahal having unique architecture and exquisite interior decorations in the form of wall paintings, mirror work, decorative ceilings and exceptional spatial qualities.
Conservation is the action taken to prevent decay of any kind and adaptive reuse of building is one of the methods of architectural conservation that aims at retaining its heritage even as it continues to serve other function. Reuse of heritage buildings is an upcoming trend in India because of its cultural, architectural, artistic and economical benefits. The success of a reuse of building totally depends on what adaptive reuse is suggested for a space without compromising the integrity and cultural significance of the building. Heritage Hotel is selling better in the Indian tourist market and seems most lucrative form of commercial use.
Most of the palaces in India that have been converted into hotels are 19th and early 20th century structures built on the European model and Hari Niwas Palace Hotel in Jammu is one of the such examples. In some of these palaces, additions and extensions have been made more with a commercial outlook and increase the capacity of the hotel. Hence apprehensions of the people who fear fiddling with the original structure of Mubarak Mandi Palace complex, seem genuine to some extent. They fear that the Government move will devastate the surviving evidence of the symbol of power of royal Dogra dynasties and our rich cultural heritage.
The argument that Mubarak Mandi complex should be developed in such a way that it emerges on the world cultural tourism map and attracts tourists, including those visiting Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, sounds pleasing to the ear but needs a lot of ground work with a practical approach. There is no denial of the fact that architecture of Mubarak Mandi palaces is unique, marvelous and mesmerizing besides having its cultural and historical importance, but it is a bitter truth that there has been no footfall of tourists to the palace because of numerous reasons, including the callous attitude of the successive Governments, which did nothing in this direction. Forget about the tourists, how many of us have taken our children and family members to the complex for having a rendezvous with our rich cultural heritage?
Moreover, it is immature to assume that any Government will ensure continuous free flow of funds for preserving the complex. We have seen in the past over a decade how the Government funds get choked and even misutilized by those at the helm of affairs.
On the other hand, given the dearth of Government funds for archaeological preservation and the bottlenecks in getting the same, parts of this historic complex would be falling into utter ruin like its Gol Ghar and other portions. Ensuring revenue generation for conservation of the complex by putting a small portion of it to some form of commercial reuse without compromising with its original structure and cultural significance, is apparently not a bad idea.
While reusing a part of Mubarak Mandi complex as hotel building, an important aspect to be kept in mind is its original cultural significance, architectural heritage and emotional attachment of the people for the Palace complex. Any addition or alteration to the complex, even minor, should not overpower the essence of its original form.
Mubarak Mandi Jammu Heritage Society must ensure that during the conversion of identified portion into Heritage Hotel, the original architecture of the buildings is protected properly and not fiddled with. Civil society and particularly those having expertise in cultural heritage must be taken into confidence in the process.
This is the only way to make the adaptive reuse of the complex and generate regular income for proper maintenance of whole complex, which includes already restored two buildings and six buildings which are presently being conserved by utilizing the funds provided by the Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation for setting up of State-of-the Art Museum, library and convention centre. In this way, one portion will be utilized for common masses and another for generating revenue for maintenance of mammoth complex.
Mubarak Mandi is not just a sprawling Palace complex but the soul of Dogra history. We have seen it being eroded over time, more due to apathy, political mischief , corruption and also our lack of seriousness. Today it is at a critical juncture and all of us need to invest in its future. We need to be practical in our approach for its conservation and showcasing this rich cultural heritage of Jammu Kashmir to the world.
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