The centerpiece of the forecourt of Charminar is being rebuilt. The fountain known as Gulzar Houz or Char Su Ka Hauz is now a deep trench as workers are cutting and drilling through the limestone plaster and concrete accrued over decades.
“We are doing modifications according to the requirements of modern traffic. The old fountain with steel inside and covered with concrete had deteriorated. We are using archival photographs of the spout to re-create it,” says Mir Khan of Deccan Terrain Heritage who is carrying out the work under the MA&UD.
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Archival images of late 19th century and the 1914 Munn Maps show the dimensions of the fountain basin at 16 metres, now the diameter has shrunk to eight metres.
“I visited the place. It has been dug up. This is not restoration, this is reconstruction. The State government should have systems in place to ensure authenticity of conservation work. At this pace we will rebuild all old structures with concrete and steel,” said Anuradha Reddy, convenor of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, who advocated peer-review and involvement of stake holders in the project.
“We took a conscious decision as limestone mortar structure would be impossible to maintain considering the flow of traffic. We are recreating the fountain using archival images and we are replicating the design of Pathergatti parapet wall for the basin,” said Mir Khan defending the nature of work being carried out.
Earlier in February, when a portion of the fountain was brought down, it triggered rumours about demolition of the fountain.
Historically, the Gulzar Houz fountain lined with trees, was part of the ensemble of monuments, including the Char Kaman or the four arches. It was turned into a covered fountain after people started throwing trash into it. During political rallies, the fountain is festooned with slogans and coloured plastic. The level of the ground has also gone up by one feet due to frequent road laying projects.
The reconstructed fountain will have wrought iron guardrail, fountain and street lamps and stone façade.
Published - April 06, 2023 08:45 pm IST
