LAHORE, Feb 15: The archaeology department has started scraping of the outer walls of the Anarkali’s Tomb in the Civil Secretariat as a first step towards its restoration and opening for public for the first time since the British annexed Punjab in 1849.

The authorities have already demolished 24 residential quarters at the rear of the monument to clear its view and provide a free access to the general public from near the Chishtia High School. The space has been cleared and the monument is now being protected by an outer wall which too would be demolished to build a big gate.

The monument built in 1615 has been turned into a whitewashed massive brick structure, robbed of its decorative veneer. Used for various purposes including a Church, it finally became the Punjab Record Office in 1891.

The Punjab government is maintaining the archives department in the monument since the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

Officials say the scraping of the whitewash is a part of investigations being conducted by the archaeology department to find out traces of the original texture, and to arrange for its restoration accordingly. It will also help estimate the cost of the restoration and renovation.

The archaeology department will also try to locate the grave of Anarkali. At present, it is being discussed whether to shift the beautifully-inscribed monolithic sarcophagus to its original location at the centre of the monument or keep it in one corner where it was moved to by the British.

“Public has had no access to the monument because of the presence of valuable record. And, we are now going to open it to public by changing its existing status of a part of the protected Civil Secretariat structure to a historic monument,” a senior official says.

According to him, entry to public will be allowed from the Chishtia High School side. The monument will remain open all day, but the visitors will not be allowed to enter the secretariat premises. There will be no wall to prevent movement into the secretariat. However, this will be done by merely closing the inner gate.

He says the monument will also house a museum of the history of Punjab showcasing selected pieces form the archives department’s treasure trove.

The official says the government is mindful of ensuring the safety of the archives being kept in the monument. He says the department even has record of Punjab from 1849 to 1914 during which period it was extended up to Delhi. “This is exclusive record of the British India which New Delhi does not have and we are going to protect it,” he says.

He says the archives in the monument and nearly six million files in the central room are planned to be shifted to a purpose-built building. “We plan to build that building either within the secretariat or at a nearby place,” he says.

The building will have the entire record of the archives department, with proper sitting area for research scholars and digital cataloguing. Presently, the archives department has been asked to seek advice from its federal counterpart on how to construct the record-friendly building.