Mughal-era building lies in neglect

Times of India: Meerut: Sunday, 23 November 2014.

Even as the ASI held a drawing competition for schoolchildren at the historic Shahpir ka Maqbara on Saturday, little has been about the illegal structures that have mushroomed around the historical structure. The Mughal-era building, too, lies in some neglect, and the repair work undertaken have only added to the problems.

The competition was held to mark the ongoing World Heritage Week at the 17th-century monument built by the Mughal queen Noor Jehan. Interestingly, as a result of the royal's ire, the mausoleum- which still draws the faithful - was never completely built.

Over the years, the monument has become so engulfed by the illegal constructions that it is no longer from Hapur road on which it stands. In fact, in a reply earlier this year to an RTI plea filed by Lokesh Khurana, the Archaeological Survey of India said it had served repeated notices on the illegal establishments. The notices were served between May 21, 2013 and December 19, 2013. What's more, the Meerut Masterplan 2021, drafted way back in 2003, had said no constructions would be allowed near the Maqbara.

But ASI says it is helpless in the matter. "We keep getting notices and demolition orders from our circle office in Agra. But we have to depend on the local civic administration to follow the orders," assistant patron, ASI, Ankit Kumar, said. The civic authorities, however, have been shockingly lackadaisical about the issue, he said. "is it any wonder then that so many monuments have been encroached upon? And ASI is reduced to nothing but a mute spectator to society's deliberate attempt to destroy our heritage?" Kumar fumed.

But ASI may not be completely above blame. In the RTI plea, it said that from April 2011 to March 2014, it had spent Rs 17,87,559 on the tomb. Yet, the entire historic complex is in a state of some neglect. Some parts of the red stone structure have chipped off, while the gate leading to the complex is in a dilapidated state. Other structures in the complex, too, are in a poor condition.

What's worse, the small amount of repair work undertaken by ASI has done more harm than good. For starters, cement has been used to carry out the repairs. Government Museum curator Manoj Gautam said, "It is essential that when repair work is done, it should be done with the original material. Cement cannot hold in a structure made of lime mortar and this is what has been done here."

As the cement doesn't stay for too long on a stone structure, this paves way for seepages, which will cause severe damage to the building. What's more, astonishingly, missing portions of the stone structure have been replaced with white marble. This violates the aesthetic integrity of the historic building entirely.

The birth of the mausoleum is wrapped in both historical fact and lore. It is said that empress Noor Jehan, perturbed by her husband Jehangir's inordinate drinking, approached the Sufi saint Shahpir Rehmatullah Auliya.

When the queen noticed her husband refusing alcohol in a few days, she ordered a mausoleum to be built for Shahpir sometime around 1633. But, the story goes, the royal devotee later fell out with the saint for some reason. Construction of the mausoleum was abruptly stopped. And that's how the Shahpir Ka Makbara stands today in all its splendour - incomplete.