Former Superintendent of State Archaeology and State Archives, Bhubaneswar and consultant of INTACH Dr BK Rath recently inspected the ongoing refurbishment work of 149 year -old colonial structure, Hukitola, located near the Mahanadi delta in the Bay of Bengal. The project is being undertaken by INTACH under the World Bank sponsored Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) programme.
Notably, the renovation work has been going on with an aim to conserve the century- old unique Victorian structure to allure tourists. The renovation work that was started in last May is scheduled to be completed before March 2016. The State Government has granted Rs 1.2 crore for the purpose to INTACH under ICZM project after the decision was made for its facelift works.
The chemical conservation of the historic building has been going on keeping in mind that the original structure of the colonial monument will remain intact while undertaking the conservation work. During the first phase of restoration work, the lime-plastered brick-and-mortar structure which had developed cracks and the damaged roof and staircases are being repaired. Doors, windows and arches are going to be fitted in the second phase. The underground rain water harvesting system will also be renovated, informed official sources.
Replacement of many dilapidated iron beams with new ones was made in the ongoing facelift. Conventional mixture of lime mortar, jaggery and sand is being used for restoration so that the structure does not become weak. labourers specializing in restoration works have been engaged.
The Britishers arrived at Hukitola in the year 1750 and established a port for merchandise trade. They also constructed a palace and a big go-down in order to stock goods for their business on the mouths of a number of rivers and covered with dense forests. The raw material for the port and the palace, which was designed by the then Revenshaw Saheb were carried through waterways from Barabati fort. The Hukitola palace had four ladders which opened to separate spaces. Massive doors and windows were the other features of the palace.
The uniqueness of the palace, however, lies in its roof. Sloped in design, it helped rain water to flow down to four big water pots. The collected water was used for drinking purposes by the merchants through the year. The 11,250 sq ft structure stands testimony to the technical brilliance of British engineers of that age. It is 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. It has 11 large and nine small chambers. The height of the rooftop from land is 30 feet. British India’s former Cuttack collector John Beams and chief engineer of irrigation J Huki Waker were the architects of the historic monument.