Jal Mahal’s collapsed wall to be rebuilt

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Mahendragarh, July 4

If a plan goes through, visitors will again be able to enjoy the water-filled pond of the historical monument, Jal Mahal here, known for its historical milieu and marvellous architecture.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has submitted a work design of the collapsed wall of the monument for construction. The design has been sent to the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra for further study from technical points of view.

The pond of Jal Mahal has remained dry for over a year after a partition wall collapsed due to the high flow of water. Though the authorities had initiated work to get a design of the wall prepared for its construction, it later hung in balance due to the Covid pandemic.

Jal Mahal was built by Shah Quli Khan, the then Governor of Narnaul, over 11 acres during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1591. It stands in the middle of a huge pond, with a bridge to reach the monument. The palace consists of a square central chamber with four small chambers on four corners.

Jal Mahal is among those 75 historical monuments of the nation, which are being developed as “Adarsh Smarak” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in order to upgrade the existing facilities at these tourist spots.

“Modern toilets have been constructed on the campus of Jal Mahal, while the work of canteen and publications counters for visitors has reached the final stage. Similarly, the main entrance is also being beautified. The pond has deliberately been kept dry as high flow of water can damage the pond further. If everything happens as per the plan, the wall will be constructed by the end of this year,” said Zulfikar Ali, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI.

Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner (DC), said the district administration had vowed to preserve the heritage sites and monuments hence they were coordinating with the ASI for the renovation of Jal Mahal and availability of other basic facilities there.

“The construction of the collapsed wall in Jal Mahal will cost more than Rs 30 lakh. After its construction, the pond will be filled with water to attract tourists,” the DC added.

Anil Kaushik, a local resident, said tourists from Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, besides various parts of Haryana used to visit Jal Mahal in Narnaul city.

Was built during mughal emperor Akbar’s reign in 1591

• Jal Mahal was built by Shah Quli Khan, the then Governor of Narnaul, over 11 acres during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar in 1591.
• It stands in the middle of a pond, with a bridge to reach the monument.
• The palace consists of a square central chamber with four small chambers on four corners.
• It attracts visitors from Rajasthan, Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, besides various parts of the state