Fall of Solahkhambi pillars: Conservation efforts by state raise eyebrows of experts

Time of India

04-06-2025

Bhopal: The pillars of 'Solahkhambi', a Paramar era creation with a startling visual resemblance to the Greek Acropolis, were built in the 10th-11th century. They stood tall, facing the vagaries of nature for thousands of years, but are now grounded.
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They are set to be erected soon under a 'conservation' effort by the state archaeology department. This effort has raised eyebrows, leading to concerns from conservation enthusiasts and experts.
A short drive from the state capital, Bhopal, the Solahkhambi site is situated in Bihar Kotra village of Rajgarh district, around 3 kilometres from Chidikoh Bird Sanctuary. Although the name suggests 16 pillars, the structure had 14 pillars mounted on a platform, which stood for thousands of years until last week when they were 'opened' or brought down.
The site is a protected area under the state archaeology department. The state archaeology department has given the work for the conservation of the site to the Indian National Trust for Conservation of Art and Heritage (INTACH), a non-government body working for the conservation of heritage. Under the conservation efforts, INTACH has 'opened' the pillars, brought them down, and will be erecting them again after strengthening the pillars.
Officials from the directorate of archaeology say that the move was undertaken after all necessary evaluations and procedures were followed. "Proper evaluation was done. Efforts were made to see whether anything could be done externally to ensure the safety of the heritage site.
But its base was not strong, and the pillars were slanting. The best option was to re-install the pillars. The same structures will be installed again, with no changes made.
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Some repairs, using the same materials, will be done if required. All procedures have been followed," Assistant Engineer, Directorate of Archaeology, Santosh Namdeo, told TOI.
Sources from the department said that during the conservation efforts undertaken around a decade ago, some weight was put on the roof of the structure, which also added to the deterioration of its base.
"A detailed and long evaluation process was adopted before starting the conservation efforts.
Its platform or the base on which it stands has been weakened. It was a months-long process of evaluation. Thereafter, a detailed report was submitted to the govt. It was then evaluated by the govt before giving a go-ahead. It was only after due approvals that the pillars were opened up. The pillars will be re-installed after conservation," Conservation Architect from INTACH, Raghav Sharma, told TOI.
Convener of the INTACH Bhopal chapter, MM Upadhyay, said, "We always ensure that there are no changes in the structures during conservation.
Every minute detail is taken care of."
Meanwhile, the move has raised eyebrows among conservation enthusiasts.
"The first principle of conservation is that there should be minimum intervention. And the second important principle is whatever work you do should be reversible, like if any prop is installed to support the structure, it is removable. Thus, minimum intervention and reversible intervention are two very important aspects of conservation.
And the third most important thing is the structure should be evaluated for movement.
If a pillar was bent, it should have been seen whether it still has movement or has stabilised. It should have been observed for a year or so before taking such measures. It is only under extreme conditions that moves like this could be undertaken; otherwise, interventions should be minimal," Conservation Architect and former member of the National Monument Authority, Meera Ishwar Das, told TOI.
Bhopal: The pillars of 'Solahkhambi', a Paramar era creation with a startling visual resemblance to the Greek Acropolis, were built in the 10th-11th century. They stood tall, facing the vagaries of nature for thousands of years, but are now grounded.
They are set to be erected soon under a 'conservation' effort by the state archaeology department. This effort has raised eyebrows, leading to concerns from conservation enthusiasts and experts.
A short drive from the state capital, Bhopal, the Solahkhambi site is situated in Bihar Kotra village of Rajgarh district, around 3 kilometres from Chidikoh Bird Sanctuary. Although the name suggests 16 pillars, the structure had 14 pillars mounted on a platform, which stood for thousands of years until last week when they were 'opened' or brought down.
The site is a protected area under the state archaeology department.
The state archaeology department has given the work for the conservation of the site to the Indian National Trust for Conservation of Art and Heritage (INTACH), a non-government body working for the conservation of heritage. Under the conservation efforts, INTACH has 'opened' the pillars, brought them down, and will be erecting them again after strengthening the pillars.
Officials from the directorate of archaeology say that the move was undertaken after all necessary evaluations and procedures were followed.
"Proper evaluation was done. Efforts were made to see whether anything could be done externally to ensure the safety of the heritage site.
But its base was not strong, and the pillars were slanting. The best option was to re-install the pillars. The same structures will be installed again, with no changes made. Some repairs, using the same materials, will be done if required. All procedures have been followed," Assistant Engineer, Directorate of Archaeology, Santosh Namdeo, told TOI.
Sources from the department said that during the conservation efforts undertaken around a decade ago, some weight was put on the roof of the structure, which also added to the deterioration of its base.
"A detailed and long evaluation process was adopted before starting the conservation efforts. Its platform or the base on which it stands has been weakened. It was a months-long process of evaluation. Thereafter, a detailed report was submitted to the govt.
It was then evaluated by the govt before giving a go-ahead. It was only after due approvals that the pillars were opened up. The pillars will be re-installed after conservation," Conservation Architect from INTACH, Raghav Sharma, told TOI.
Convener of the INTACH Bhopal chapter, MM Upadhyay, said, "We always ensure that there are no changes in the structures during conservation. Every minute detail is taken care of."
Meanwhile, the move has raised eyebrows among conservation enthusiasts.
"The first principle of conservation is that there should be minimum intervention. And the second important principle is whatever work you do should be reversible, like if any prop is installed to support the structure, it is removable. Thus, minimum intervention and reversible intervention are two very important aspects of conservation.
And the third most important thing is the structure should be evaluated for movement.
If a pillar was bent, it should have been seen whether it still has movement or has stabilised. It should have been observed for a year or so before taking such measures. It is only under extreme conditions that moves like this could be undertaken; otherwise, interventions should be minimal," Conservation Architect and former member of the National Monument Authority, Meera Ishwar Das, told TOI.