The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will start from Monday conservation work on the 17th century Diwan-i-Khas monument inside the Red Fort after a portion of the roof of the Mughal-period hall “sagged”. Allaying apprehensions, the ASI Delhi Circle, however, said there was nothing “alarming” and it was a “routine” conservation exercise.
“The Diwan-i-Khas has been standing for over three centuries and the roof was built in a multi-layered fashion with wood layering at the bottom. And, over time, the wood has aged and must have given way or rotten, because of which the portion of the roof had sagged,” Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Delhi Circle, Vasant Swarankar said.
“We are starting the conservation work from Monday. I have already issued orders for it,” he said. Rejecting a media report about the “dangerous condition” of the hall, Swarankar said, “There is nothing to worry about unlike what the report claims.”
The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) with openings of engrailed arches on its sides consists of a rectangular central chamber surrounded by aisles of arches rising from piers and is one of the central points of attraction in the complex of the World Heritage site, which has an average footfall of 12,000-15,000 daily.
According to ASI Delhi, the entry to the hall was restricted to the public in the beginning of the current year only, after “we had found visitors vandalising the artwork”. “The sagging was reported a couple of years ago only but the due process of conservation takes time as a lot of preparation has to precede the actual conservation work,” Swarankar said.
“So, the moment we identified the reason for the sagging, we realised we had to replace the wood. So, we sent the wood sample from the Hall to Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun to find its make. Meanwhile, we worked on its old drawings and collected documentations to lay out a roadmap for the conservation. It takes time,” he said.
The famed hall, a testimony to the iconic Mughal architecture, once had the legendary Peacock Throne and silver work on its ceiling. “Over the marble pedestal in its centre stood the famous Peacock Throne which was taken away by dictator Nadir Shah in 1739. The ceiling had silver work, which were also destroyed by him. The British later replaced it with wooden ceiling with a copper layering and redid the floral designs,” he added.
According to records, a stream flowed through the middle of the Hall, called the Nahr-i-Bihisht (Stream of Paradise). Over the corner arches of the northern and southern walls below the cornice is inscribed the famous verse of poet Amir Khusrau reading: “If there be a paradise on the earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.” The four corners of its roof are surrounded by pillared chhatris or canopies. The lower parts of the piers are inlaid with floral designs, while the upper portions are gilded and painted. The present wooden ceiling of the hall was painted in 1911.
According to ASI’s official website, the hall was used by the emperor for giving private audience to selected courtiers and visitors. Originally there existed on the west of the Diwan-i-Khas two enclosures, one for the nobles and the other for those who were not of a very high rank. These enclosures were removed after the 1857 Mutiny. During the Mutiny, Bahadur Shah II held court in the Diwan-i-Khas.
Nineteenth century court painter Ghulam Ali Khan’s artistic renditions of the different views of the Red Fort and the Diwan-i-Khas are a collector’s item today. One of his paintings, dating before the Mutiny, shows the ‘Stream of Paradise’ while another painted around 1817 depicts the Hall with red shamiana thrown round it. Owing to “acts of vandalism”, ASI has also closed other monuments inside the Red Fort. “The Rang Mahal, where a portion of its chajja (eaves had fallen earlier) has been closed to public and estimate for its conservation is currently being prepared.
“We have also closed Moti Masjid and the Hammam as people try to pull out gems and floral patterns out of them. And, their marble floorings are also very delicate and people venture on them wearing shoes. We have security staff crunch, so we cannot risk the monument’s safety,” he said.