Restored Heritage Indian Mansion A Cultural Destination For Visitors

By M.Santhiran NEW DELHI, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- India is a land of plenty when it comes to buildings or historical monuments with some of them going back to the first century. While in most parts of the world the ancient buildings often end up as ruins, in India things are a bit different as there are people who are keen in preserving them. The Red Fort, Taj Mahal, Jama Mosque, Kutub Minar and the rest stand testament to the fact that the authorities and the Indians are keen in preserving them. Other lesser known buildings of antiquity too have been restored and at times given a new role as well. One good example is the recently restored three-storey mansion located about 15-minute walk from the famous Jama Mosque of Old Delhi. The Haveli, with its Mughal style edifice, was built during the 19th century and it was a residential building. A POLITICIAN BEHIND HAVELI'S RESTORATION Vijay Goel, a three-term parliament member, restored the mansion to its former glory and turned it into an opulent inn - Haveli Dharampur. He was a member of parliament for two heavily populated constituencies - Sadar and Chandni Chowk - of the Old Delhi for two terms. Vijay is also the president of Heritage India Foundation (HIF). This 62-year-old seasonal politician has deep passion in preserving and restoring heritage buildings and has coughed out some 1.5 crore rupees (about US$250,000) to restore a 19th century mansion in Old Delhi. Recently Vijay invited the foreign media in New Delhi to witness the restored three-storey mansion. His son Siddhant Goel too was involved in the restoration work along with some 50 specialist masons and labourers since the building was acquired five years ago for an undisclosed amount of money. The father and son team also enlisted the help of noted architect Kapil Aggarwal. Vijay pointed out there were hundreds of such heritage building with the Mughal, Hindu and even European architectural design elements in India. RAW MATERIAL SOURCED FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA The mansion was designed with a central courtyard, a standard feature of the Mughal architecture, and could accommodate between 15 and 20 families. Vijay when sharing his work with his guests noted that the construction of the building mainly used lahkori bricks with mud and lime mortar, sandstone slabs, wooden joists and planks. The lime concrete flooring and marble pillars for spanning gives a distinct architectural feature of the period, added Vijay. In order to achieve this old-world charm in the restoration works, raw material were sourced from different parts of the country. For instance, the cast iron railings adorning the interiors were fabricated in Jaipur to replicate the Shahjahani style railings. The wooden door that serves as an entrance to this place has intricate carvings, done in the Shekhavati region. MOST PREFERRED CULTURAL DESTINATION FOR VISITORS Vijay is optimistic that Haveli will be one of the most preferred cultural destination for visitors to Delhi when it opens its doors to the public in two weeks time. It has thirteen rooms where guests can experience the royal hospitality and a restaurant, which will serve authentic Old Delhi and Moghul-style cuisine. Apart from that, visitors could also enjoy the kabooterbaaji (flying pigeon), patangbaaji (kite flying) experience from the Haveli's viewing gallery. For media representatives it was breathtaking experience watching the Jama Mosque and the Red Fort, two majestic landmarks of Old Delhi built by Moghul emperor in the 18th century, from the viewing gallery. However, Vijay was tight-lipped when asked about the value of the restored building. Vijay is set to lobby with the central government for more funds for restoration works of other old mansions located at the old quarter of Delhi. -- BERNAMA