Chepauk Palace – a story of continuing neglect

A rubbish bin, and several crumbling arches

It is now more than a year since one part of Chepauk Palace, the Khalsa Mahal, was consumed by flames. While its proposed restoration has been in a state of masterly inactivity ever since, what is worrying is that the rest of the campus continues to remain in a state of neglect, thereby giving very little hope of a better future for what is the cradle of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture.

A recent visit only served to confirm that none of those in charge of the place has learnt from the conflagration of 2012. The same conditions that caused such extensive destruction continue to exist in the surviving wing of the palace – the Humayun Mahal. All along its outer corridor, a huge quantity of discarded wooden furniture has been stored. Inside, the place is a rabbit’s warren of offices, wooden partitions, makeshift toilets and any number of files filling every available spot. Add to this, shoddy electrical wiring, some ages old and several new and exposed, and you have a deadly cocktail for another fire. And with the building being a structure that has plenty of old timber in its make-up, the extent of damage can be as much as that of Khalsa Mahal. What is worse, a part of the ceiling in Humayun Mahal has caved in and the building continues to remain in occupation!

The Khalsa Mahal presents a very sorry spectacle too. Through its arches it is possible to see the fallen beams and plenty of rubble. Even the molten plastic sheets from erstwhile temporary partitions have not been removed and hang precariously from the windows. The north-western end which housed the area of worship (below which is the old marble plaque that states that this was the residence of the Nawab of the Carnatic) has plenty of vegetation growing from its crevices. Windows are falling apart and several gaping holes can be seen. If at all there is one structure that still looks solid, it is the tower that Chisholm built to weld the two wings together.

Outside, the upkeep of the precincts too leaves much for improvement. Squatters had taken over the portico of the Khalsa Mahal and the fire appears to have not succeeded in dislodging them. There is plenty of litter all around and Government employees do not think twice before putting up posters on any of the historic walls. The entire area, though a very busy place, appears to be quite content with its squalor. Does all this give any indication of seriousness on the part of the Government to restore Chepauk Palace?

Shortly after the fire, it was announced that the building would be demolished to make way for fresh construction. Then, following an outcry in the media, this was shelved and a three-member committee was appointed to study the structure. It was pointed out even then that the committee lacked structural engineers but the Government went ahead. It is now almost ten months since the committee submitted its report, which incidentally suggested a partial reconstruction, whatever that means. This may not be entirely acceptable as the study was completed in less than a week, surely a very short period of time for a monument of such undoubted historicity.

It was then heard that the Government was wanting to make the restoration of Chepauk Palace an example of how heritage conservation was to be done. It invited ‘expressions of interest’ from conservation architects for working on Khalsa Mahal. It also was understood that the Government would be happy to get the restoration done on rates and methods that were not those of the PWD’s. This indicated that the Government was willing to consider that heritage conservation cannot be on the same lines as new construction. All that was in June 2012. Since then nothing has been heard. Has the request for expression of interest been formally sent out? Structural engineers and architects appear to have not received it. In the meanwhile Khalsa Mahal continues to moulder.

What is evident now is that restoration is needed in all parts of the Palace including the as-of-now standing Humayun Mahal. In fact a dedicated move to document the entire Palace would be the ideal first step, mapping out what is an extremely confusing complex, built as it was repeatedly over a hundred years. With that in place, a restoration attempt would be more meaningful. Hopefully, that should happen.

Projects in suspended animation

Newspapers recently carried reports of a State Minister going walkabout to inspect unfinished civic projects. It is understood that the local population in attendance gave him an earful on the tardy progress, if it could be termed that. We, on the other hand, would like to commend the Minister in his having set out to gather these facts for himself. And, at the same time, we would like to add a list of our own, highlighting the lack of progress on various projects concerning heritage, built and natural.

The Adyar Poonga progressed till the end of 2010. What happened after that is a mystery. This project, touted as one that would save the Adyar Creek, is now very much on the backburner. The general public is not allowed inside and entry is only for teams of schoolchildren, the logic behind such a decision being unknown. It is worth pondering over how many schoolchildren visit the place now. Last heard, the consultant who worked on the project was owed money.

The Pallikaranai Marsh is another story which appears never ending. Around 780 acres were declared as reserve forest in 2007. Since then the process of handing over the land to the Forest Department has taken forever. It is reliably learnt that a part was handed over early this year and a protective wall is being constructed. A proposal for a comprehensive restoration, submitted by an NGO to the Central Government, is hanging fire and, in the meanwhile, the city Corporation continues dumping garbage into the marsh.

What happened to the project to make Buckingham Canal navigable once more? True, the Union Minister who announced this in 2008 is no longer in power, but surely a policy decision, and one for which over Rs. 450 crore was allotted, has to be implemented? We wonder where it is held up.

Closer home, we are concerned about what the fate of the National Gallery within the Egmore Museum Complex will be. The Museum Theatre and the Connemara Public Library have been restored leaving only the National Gallery decrepit. But apart from posting signs all around it that it is in a weakened state, there has been no progress for over five years. The compound wall of the complex has, however, been renovated not once, but twice in the interim. What is holding up allocation of funds for restoring the Gallery? Last heard, its dome had developed a crack from side to side and was endangered.

On the same note, what is happening to the Chepauk Palace restoration? The unclear mandate of restoration notwithstanding, last heard was that the Government had invited bids for the restoration process from experts in the field. That was more than six months ago. Since then, there has been no clear information on whether any bids were received at all and, if so, what their status of evaluation is. The building continues to languish as a burnt-out shell.

To top it all, what is the status of the Heritage Commission Bill? Announced in May, it is yet to be legislated on, notified and made into law. All kinds of diverse opinions are being expressed about its fate, none of them too encouraging.

And, so, there matters rest. It is to be hoped that the enthusiasm with which the Minister set out to inspect civic projects will soon percolate to other ministries, thereby making them move faster on all these projects that are in suspended animation.

A new approach to heritage conservation

In what may be the first of its kind, the State Government has decided to rope in a conservation architect to advise on the restoration of the fire-ravaged Khalsa Mahal at Chepauk Palace. This is perhaps an indication that the Government has come to accept that its conventional (read PWD) methods will not work in heritage conservation. If that is so, it is indeed a welcome development.

Initiating the process recently, the Government has invited expressions of interest from conservation architects. The selected professional will have to work on a conceptual plan, architectural and structural designs, and prepare detailed estimates. Tenders will then be floated for the actual execution and the architect will be closely involved in the final work. It is learnt that the Government intends to closely watch this project as a pilot and this may lead the way for future conservation efforts as well.

This is a marked departure from earlier practice. Till now, all conservation projects by the Government have more or less been worked on the same basis as new constructions. The same procedures and rates apply. With the PWD not having any conservation experts on its roles, work on restoration of Government-owned heritage buildings has been shoddy, at best. That these are very hardy and robust structures that manage to survive despite such treatment is another matter altogether. The strict adherence to Government rates for heritage restoration is also an impossibility. Most often, the true nature and extent of damage reveals itself only after work has actually begun. This calls for a flexibility in cost estimates which is not permissible at present.

Chepauk Palace, which is arguably the first example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, was ravaged by a fire in early January this year. Its subsequent story is in itself a tale of how heritage restoration is gradually acquiring centre-stage. After an initial and hasty announcement that the building was beyond redemption and would be demolished, better sense prevailed. A team of three experts was put together by the Government. Though the composition of the team was a subject of controversy, it did submit a report that recommended conservation and restoration. The exact nature of the restoration is, however, rather nebulously given in the report and it remains to be seen as to how exactly this will pan out on the ground. Much will depend on the conservation architect selected and what weight his/her opinion will carry.

If this project is successful, Chepauk Palace can claim yet another first to its credit. It will be the first fire-ravaged heritage building in the State to be professionally restored. Moore Market, Gandhi Illam and Spencers’ are all examples of buildings that were gutted but what could have been conserved had there been a vision and a will. Perhaps Chepauk Palace will show the way, as it did by way of architecture in the erstwhile British empire for almost two centuries.

One last thought, though. In report about these government plans, the word ‘rebuilt’ has been used several times. We hope/restoration is what is planned and not pulling it all down and building a replica – which is what ‘rebuilding’ implies.

A fiery requiem for Chepauk Palace

Earlier this month, when the city was celebrating Pongal, a 250 year-old part of its history went up in flames. Historic Chepauk Palace, the first building in the Indo-Saracenic style, was partially gutted owing to a fire. Years of neglect and poor maintenance had taken their toll, though the authorities naturally denied all such charges. If that was bad enough, what followed thereafter was even worse, clearly indicating that our Government has no policy or action plan when it comes to dealing with our heritage. And this is at a time when the common man is waking up to the necessity of protecting our historic buildings and is demanding action.

Readers of Madras Musings will be no strangers to the poor maintenance at Chepauk. Our publication had in the last few months carried a detailed article on the subject, complete with photographs. Piles of files, steel cupboards, falling windows, squatters under the entrance portico, garbage bins situated wherever they may please, arbitrarily constructed toilets and shoddy electric wiring, about sums it all up. Surely all this was a perfect recipe for such a disaster. Even then it had been reported that a part of the roof had caved in and some of the offices in the precinct had been relocated. Since then no action was taken on repairing the building and the fire came as a convenient excuse for those wanting to demolish the structure and erect a multi-storied edifice in its place.

Experts had not been called in and nobody had as yet assessed the damage when to everyone’s surprise, the decision to demolish was announced, almost before the fire, which sadly consumed one life, could be put out. The heritage lobby, conservationists and above all the Prince of Arcot raised a protest against this and a three-man committee was appointed to go into the question of whether what remained could be preserved and what had been destroyed could be rebuilt. Here again, the team constituted is not satisfactory. All members may toe the Government line given their backgrounds. It is also significant that not a single archaeologist or a conservation expert was included.

What was overlooked in all this is the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) appointed by the Government last year in response to the High Court’s judgement on heritage buildings. That the committee has done precious little is open knowledge and not a single member has ever visited Chepauk Palace or for that matter any of the heritage buildings listed by the Court in its orders. Had this been done and had the Committee listed guidelines for the maintenanceof heritage buildings for which it surely had enough time, this fire may have never taken place. That after the fire, the Committee was given a tour of the gutted parts of the palace must be a matter of some small satisfaction to its members. However the complete silence of the Committee since the fire, speaks volumes about its effectiveness.

It is now understood that the three-member committee appointed to study Chepauk Palace has filed its report. It is also understood that the report may have recommended a partial preservation as its solution. This may not be entirely acceptable as the study was completed in less than a week, surely a very short period of time for a monument of such undoubted historicity. Also the absence of structural engineers and conservation experts weakens the status of such a committee. Even now it is not too late and the Government must look at appointing a larger team, with if possible, specialists from IITs all over the country. IIT Madras too has a heritage cell whose services could be asked for.

While the ultimate decision on the palace now rests with the Government, the usual stories have begun to abound. One of which is that the powers-that-be are mulling over a plan to demolish and build an exact replica of what was pulled down. You only need to look at Singaravelar Maligai on Rajaji Salai, constructed after a similar assurance while pulling down Bentincks Building that earlier stood there, to be taken in by such promises.

Chepauk Palace – its history

I have always maintained that I have to just write about a building for it to be demolished or burnt. Sure enough, my write up on Chepauk Palace was published just a few days before the great fire. But read on…

http://xsreal.com/blog/?p=90

The sad state of Chepauk Palace

It has been touted the world over as the first example of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, a style for which Madras became famous. And yet, in the absence of any form of legislation to protect buildings of its kind, the historic Chepauk Palace is rapidly going to seed and unless something fairly urgent is done about it, this historic precinct is unlikely to survive for long. That at least was the impression I was left with during a recent visit to the premises.

Chepauk Palace was built as the city residence of the Nawabs of Arcot. Probably designed by Paul Benfield, a Company engineer turned building contractor, it was the first instance anywhere in the world of the Indo-Saracenic style. It also more famously, marked the beginning of the takeover of the Carnatic by the British and when it was nearing completion, it was evident to most that the days of the Nawab’s rule were numbered. Sure enough, the Carnatic was annexed in 1801 though the ruling family was permitted to use the palace till 1855, when on the pretext of liquidating the debts of the Nawabs, the place was acquired by the Government in a sham auction. Since then, it has been used by Government departments, of which the most well-known are the Revenue and Public Works Departments. The latter also has its own independent wing fronting Chepauk Palace, built by Robert Fellowes Chisholm.

Chepauk Palace’s long decline began even in the 1950s when the Government decided to build Ezhilagam, to house more of its departments. The new edifice completely cut off the Palace from public view at least from Beach Road, a view that many early writers on the city claimed was the one which showed the buildings at their best. But a worse blow was to follow in the 1980s when the Agricultural Department offices were built despite protests, on the Wallajah Road side of the Palace. This meant that the Palace could only be seen and accessed from the rear. And to add to the damage, an aerial corridor was built connecting the old Palace to the new building, for which a gaping hole had to be made in the historic walls. But all this fades into insignificance in the face of the wanton neglect of the place, which has caused untold damage to it.

As offices proliferated inside the Palace, toilets have been built any-which-way-you-please. There are water tanks on the roof, which seep and add to the damage. Maintenance is shoddy and posters are pasted all along the walls of the buildings, at least up to the level that human hands can reach. Trees are now growing on the walls and several chunks of ornamental plasterwork have come off. There are unsightly grilles, ostensibly to provide security to what is ironically used as a free thoroughfare connecting Wallajah and Kamaraj Roads! A family appears to have made the rear portico its home and when I walked by, an old man among the squatters came up and demanded that the building be soon demolished and rebuilt with modern amenities! A yard on the side is filled with discarded furniture, all of them awaiting an uncertain fate. There are also vast rubbish tips in the courtyards.

Inside, it would be no exaggeration to state that the files are holding up the roof. There are towers made of files and walls comprising steel cupboards, which are dragged about the old flooring leaving permanent scratch marks. Parts of the roof collapsed a few years ago owing to prolonged neglect of the wooden beams that held it up. The offices in these sections have been shifted out but nothing has been done to repair the damage and these portions remain as they are, adding to the wear and tear.

It is quite evident that the Palace is crying out for restoration and if this is denied then we may not have the buildings with us for long. A few years ago, a restoration project was announced but it is not clear as to what became of it. The Palace however, did get a fresh coat of paint. But that can hardly hide the obvious signs of stress. And so, Chepauk Palace joins the rather long line of heritage buildings in the city that are in urgent need of some loving care. Given its importance, it will hopefully charge ahead of others in the queue.

But in the absence of a Heritage Act are we likely to see any action? Or is the Government waiting for the buildings to weaken? Then it will be very easy to get a certificate from one of its own departments to the effect that the building is “unfit for habitation” and the rest of the procedure will follow – another new Government-built monstrosity with more offices and files, built over another graveyard of history.