sandeep dwivedy, post news network, Cuttack, June 6: Several monuments of historical significance in the millennium city are lying in a state of neglect with the authorities turning a blind eye to those.
The 300 year-old Shahi Quilla Mosque, near the Barabati Fort, is one such structure. The demands to make the mosque a tourist spot have fallen on deaf ears and as a result the site has not received the care it deserves.The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had taken some steps to preserve the Shahi Quilla. No visible measure, however, has been taken so far for the restoration and preservation of this mosque with significant historical significance.
The mosque, which has three 36 ft high domes and minarets on the rear, resembles, to some extent, the architectural style of the Qadam-e-Rasool Mosque. The Shahi Quilla Mosque also has a ‘Wazaukhana’, where visitors can wash their feet.
According to the locals, following the annexation of Orissa by the Nawab of Bengal Ali-Vardi Khan, his army camped at the Barabati Fort. Fateh Khan Rehman, the commander of the army, had a mosque built on the fort premises, so that he can worship there. Later the mosque came to be known as the Fateh Khan Mosque or Shahi Quilla Masjid. Akik Khan, ex-secretary Masjid Committee, said, “The mosque can accommodate 1,000 people at a time.”
Located at a distance from the nearby crowded localities, the mosque attracts a large number of Muslim devotees, from areas such as Tulasipur, Buxi Bazaar, Pension Lane, Mehendipur and Dewan Bazaar, who regularly visit the mosque to offer Namaz, Khan said.
Despite repeated requests from the mosque authorities, as also the people of the localities nearby, the government has not taken any step either to develop the site as a tourist spot or to preserve it because of its historical significance, Khan lamented.
Sheikh Kamaruddin Bismillah Ahmed, a resident of Buxi Bazar, said that the mosque, if renovated properly could attract tourists not only from other cities of Orissa but also from other states. “It is high time the government did something about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, an official of the ASI, on condition of anonymity, said that as soon as the detailed plan for the renovation of the mosque would be prepared, the work would begin. “But, funds are a constraint and the state government has to pitch in alongside ASI for the renovation work,” he said.
Qadam-e-Rasool, another monument of historical significance, which attracts people from across all faiths, too, was lying in a state of neglect till recently. Funds, however, have finally been granted for its renovation. According to sources, the beautification work being undertaken at the dargah is visible too. The officials of the Shahi Quilla Mosque hope that their mosque took will receive government patronage in the near future and age-old history will be well preserved for the generations to follow.
