Monuments in safe hands

Sun, May 18 12:45 AM

THE STANDING testimonials of ancient Indian architectural prowess and the pride of Shan-e-Awadh? 'Roomi Darwaza' and 'Bada Imambara' are now in safe hands. Allahabad University (AU), Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have in a first of its kind endeavour in the country, begun a joint initiative to save the monuments from ire of nature as part of ASI's national-level ambitious project to save ancient monuments from fury of earthquakes.

Under the joint initiative, AU will provide basic inputs to IIT-K that are required for carrying out a 'Retrofitting Seismic Analysis' of Rumi Darwaja and Bada Imambara. It is pertinent to mention that to save the country's historical monuments from earthquakes, under a project 'Seismic Evaluation', IIT-K's Civil Engineering Department is all set to begin the exercise of examining the two historical monuments of Lucknow in the first phase.

"It is a joint initiative of AU, ASI and IIT-Kanpur. A team of experts from the AU Department of Ancient History Culture and Archaeology, IIT-K's Civil Engineering department and the ASI will visit the sites to collect necessary data required to carry out seismic analysis of the two monuments," said Head of AU's Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology department Prof G.K. Rai.

He said that the team would conduct a preliminary survey of the site to assess the damage caused over the years and find out the best-suited technology for seismic retrofitting soon. It is worth mentioning that AU's Department of Ancient History Culture and Archaeology has the coveted status of a Centre of Excellence granted by the University Grant Commission (UGC) and is among an elite club of educational institutions granted permits by the ASI for carrying out surveys and excavations at select historical sites.

Prof Rai said that it was for the first time in India that an initiative of preserving the ancient monuments against quakes was being undertaken under the seismic retrofitting rogramme. "The seismic upgrading of historic buildings embraces two distinct and apparently conflicting goals: Seismic retrofitting to provide adequate life-safety protection as well as preservation of the historic and architectural fabric of the building.

These goals are often perceived as being fundamentally opposed, as, if conventional seismic retrofitting practices are followed," Prof Rai explained.

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