Artefacts to be brought under one roof in Mahendragarh

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Mahendragarh, July 11

The district administration is on the job of bringing historical sculptures, inscriptions, artefacts and ancient agriculture equipment under one roof with the help of locals to preserve these antique items and acquainting tourists with their significance and milieu.

A joint team of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and district administration-led Chief Minister Good Governance Associate (CMGGA), Kaustubh Varat, are visiting villages to collect these items for the purpose. The administration is also preparing a proposal to setup a museum in the district, said sources.

“A number of sculptures, inscriptions, artefacts and other objects are lying scattered at various places in the district. Many of these have also got damaged as no one earlier paid any heed towards preserving these. All these are now being collected for conservation. We have prepared a list of 51 villages where such objects are likely to be found,” said Ratan Lal Saini, district convener of INTACH.

Saini maintained so far, the team had visited Kamania, Shyana, Mandhi and Kultajpur villages here in search of these historical items. Many sculptures that were found in excavations over 50 years ago had been kept in the temples of Kamania and Shyana villages while some idols and inscriptions were lying at farms and other places in Mandhi and Kultajpur villages, he added.

“Mahendragarh district is full of cultural heritage. There are many such historical monuments, which have the potential of attracting tourists in and outside India. The idea of collecting ancient objects came to mind when we were planning to revamp these monuments. We learnt that many antique items have already been sent to Jhajjar, Kurukshetra and Chandigarh from Mahendragarh as there is no place here to preserve these. So, we decided to conserve the objects locally by bringing these under one roof,” said Kaustubh.

Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, said a district heritage committee had been formed to identify those places where such items were available. Even locals had been requested to donate antifacts from their collection. Names of such people would be mentioned on the donated items, he added.

“After collecting all valuable sculptures, inscriptions and artifacts, a report will be sent to the state government with a request of taking essential steps for its conservation at the local level,” said the DC, adding that initially, the items will be kept on the premises of the district library.