MUZAFFARABAD: A pre-partition era pavilion named after the second Dogra ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is set to regain its lost grandeur after years of neglect.The rehabilitation work of the ‘baradari of Maharaja Ranbir Singh’, built near the confluence of Jhelum and Neelum rivers in Muzaffarabad, has started on the directives of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas.

He ordered the rehabilitation of the pavilion during a recent visit to the area.

“The prime minister has ordered all government officials to restore and beautify sites that have the potential to attract tourists,” said Development Authority Muzaffarabad (DAM) head Azhar Gillani, who has been tasked with rehabilitating the baradari.

Mr Gillani told Dawn the prime minister had expressed displeasure over the dilapidated state of the architecture when he drove past the area last week and ordered to immediately rehabilitate it.

He added that in the first phase, the main terrace on the right bank would be cleaned by earth-moving machines and manual labour. In the second phase, the structure would be restored to its original state, without any change in its texture, with the help of experts from AJK and other parts of Pakistan.

The portion on the left bank would also undergo the same process while areas surrounding the pavilion would also get a facelift in the third phase, including a pedestrian track from the main baradari to the confluence of both rivers, he said.

According to a technical study of AJK’s archaeological assets, 35 steps made of limestone lead to the main baradari from the right bank of the Jhelum river.

The study added that underneath the stairs runs a row of seven pillars of the same symmetry while smaller chambers, embellished with floral patterns, were also constructed to support the stairs. The wall along the stairs has been defaced due to natural calamities.

The pillars have brackets on both sides forming an arch. Thus, a row of arches can be seen in this portion, according to the study.

Such patterns were prevalent in Mughal baradaris, the study said, adding that at the top of entrances, “Ranbir Singh Baradari” was engraved on a lintel made of marble stone flanked by floral patterns.

On the western side, there are 19 steps descending towards the Jhelum river.

The stony structure served as the foundation of a steel bridge which connected the old city of Muzaffarabad with a road on the left bank of the Jhelum river leading to Srinagar on one side and Rawalpindi on the other.

The bridge was targeted during airborne attacks in the India-Pakistan wars as well as heavy floods. But, it is still used by small vehicles. The heavy traffic has been re-routed to the RCC Bridge constructed on its western side.

Attempts have been made to beautify and uplift the baradari and the bridge in the past.

In early 2005, when the AJK capital went through a facelift ahead of the launch of the intra-Kashmir bus service, the bridge was decorated. On Sept 25, 2005, hardly two weeks before the devastating earthquake, a food point was inaugurated on the premises of baradari. Interestingly, the October 8 earthquake that razed many buildings to the ground failed to dislocate the pavilion.

In May 2006, the food point was reopened as part of measures to revitalise the quake-hit town. But floods in 2010, caused by a breach in the dike of Zilzal lake near the famous hill resort of Chikar, swept away kiosks and filled the premises with mounds of earth.

“Since then, the baradari had been a victim of neglect,” remarked a resident, who said he visits the site on a daily basis.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2022