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Documentation
The purpose of documenting a historical or archaeological site is
to catalogue the condition of the structure in need of
conservation or restoration. The documentation work included a
topographic survey of the Haveli and its environs, including a
small adjacent building known as the Rani Mehal.
The
documentation team comprised data collectors, AutoCAD operators,
and draftsmen, who were engaged to carry out an initial survey of
the anderkot where the Haveli is located.
The
process involved reviewing archaeological literature and popular
lore; documenting the area and its structures before and after
conservation using film and
digital photography; and locating and documenting sources of
damage to the buildings, i.e., caused by seepage, rain, soil
erosion, and natural structural collapse. The dimensions of the
Haveli, its rooms, doors, windows, brackets, and niches were
hand-measured and logged; revised based on second measurements;
and finally recorded in electronic form.
This information was then collated and used to prepare detailed
computer-aided design (CAD) drawings representing the Haveli and
surrounding area on various scales. These allowed the appointed
conservation architect to analyze the structural and architectural
problems of conservation, and prepare further CAD drawings
representing sections and elevations of the building. The
documentation has been compiled in book form and submitted as an
appendix to this report; a copy is available at the documentation
centre set up at Rohtas for visitors and researchers.
Conservation
and Repairs
A working agreement for this project was signed by the Department
of Archaeology in September 2003. The work plan for site works
was submitted to the Director General Archaeology in January 2004,
and subsequent permission granted.
Under the work
plan approved by the department, the building was furnished with
scaffolding and walkways allowing safe access to the site; the
ground floor was cordoned off to the public to allow conservation
work to continue safely. The consolidation of decaying parts and
emergency measures on the ground and the first floor is now
complete. This work involved repairing damaged portions of the
floors and walls—including the shades on the upper floor—using
lime plaster. In addition, soil erosion in the haveli’s courtyard
which had allowed rainwater to seep into the ground floor, was
checked so that no water should accumulate.
Restoration of
Cupola
Basic
conservation repairs were carried out to restore the cupola of the
Haveli. Invasive botanical growth had caused extensive damage to
the exterior and interior. In the western part of the cupola, for
instance, a growing focus tree had penetrated deep into the
structure and reappeared on the inside of the upper storey
ceiling. The plant’s expanding trunk had caused part of the base
of the cupola’s drum to separate entirely from the structure.
Multiple tufts of grasses were also found growing through the
cupola. The plant growth was checked successfully using chemicals
provided by
the Pakistan
Agricultural Research Council; no new growth has occurred for over
a year.
Two original
motifs encircling the base of the cupola were discovered
unexpectedly while stripping away damaged and decayed mortar. One
of the motifs was originally built in brick and embedded in the
structure, while the other was painted on the rim: both have been
restored.
The brick design has been restored on roughly 10% of the rim to
allow visitors a glimpse of what the original design looked like;
the remaining portion has been left as is. The second motif on
the rim of the cupola has been completely restored.
Illumination
As part of the illumination plan that was also funded under this
project, the Islamabad Electric Supply Corporation installed an
electricity transformer at the site in December 2003. This
currently lights the walkway leading to the Haveli as well as
parts of the building itself. The illumination of the Haveli and
the path leading to it has increased the number of visitors
choosing to view the building by evening. On the request of the
security staff at Rohtas, the Haveli is lit up only on special
occasions rather than daily.
Installation
of Safety Railing
The original railing installed along the stairs leading to the
second floor of the Haveli was grouted minimally in the floor; it
was deemed unsafe for visitors and site workers and, given that it
only extended until the first floor landing, left the haveli’s
terraces unprotected.
A new, sturdier,
and aesthetically more pleasing railing has now been installed
along the haveli’s staircase. The railing consists of light wire
cables that blend into the building’s backdrop. The vertical
steel bars supporting the railing have been reinserted deeper into
the staircase and grouted in cement. Supporting steel plates have
also been grouted into the old sandstone base, and the railing on
both sides linked by plates hidden in the tread of the stairs;
this will ensure that the handrail remains firm and stable.
Visitor Information Panels
A set of visitor information panels have been installed in the
Haveli compound. The first two panels describe in English and
Urdu the history of the Haveli and the conservation measures
carried out on the building. A third panel lists the donors and
people involved in this project. |
