Post News Network
Kendrapara, Sept 5: Former superintendent of state archives BK Rath inspected the ongoing renovation of 149 year-old colonial structure Hukitola near Mahanadi delta off Bay of Bengal. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has undertaken the renovation work under the World Bank-sponsored Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) programme.
The renovation aims to conserve the century-old Victorian architecture for the posterity. The work that started last May is scheduled to be completed before March 2016. The State government has granted `1.2 crore to INTACH for this purpose.
In the first phase of the restoration work, cracks in the lime-plastered brick-and-mortar structure, damaged roof and staircases are being repaired while doors, windows and arches will be taken up in the second phase. The underground rain water harvesting system will also be renovated, official sources said.
Dilapidated iron beams were replaced with new ones. Authoriteis are using the conventional mixture of lime mortar, jaggery and sand in the restoration work so that the structure does not get weak.
The British, after they arrived at Hukitola in 1750, established a port here to carry on their merchandise trade. They also constructed a palace and a big go-down to stock their goods. Raw-materials for the port and the palace, that were designed by late Revenshaw Saheb, were carried here by water-ways from Barabati fort. The Hukitola palace had four ladders that opened to separate directions. Massive doors and windows were the other features of the palace.
The uniqueness of the palace, however, is its roof. Sloped in design, it helped rain water flow down to four big water storages. The collected water was used for drinking purposes by the merchants.
The 11,250 square-ft structure stands testimony to the technical brilliance of British engineers. It is 150 feet long and 75 feet wide. The building has 11 large and nine small chambers. The height of the rooftop from land is 30 feet. Former Cuttack collector John Beams and chief engineer of irrigation J Huki Waker were the architects of the historic monument.
The port and palace started shrinking in 1924 when the British established a port at False point. Later, in the year 1962 the Central government established Paradip port which spelt the ultimate doom to the importance of Hukitola, analysts say.
The great famine of 1866 had led the British to build the warehouse. Rice from various parts of the country made its way to Hukitola for its storage and later for distribution among the starving masses. The autobiographical account of John Beams — Memoirs of a Bengal Civilian — throws light on Hukitola’s past.
