Renovation of Jama Masjid gets rescheduled due to hot weather
NEEDS CARE
NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to alter the repair schedule for Jama Masjid because of the hot weather conditions prevailing in the region.
An ASI official, who is privy to the matter, told Hindustan Times that due to the high temperatures, they have decided to fix the covered areas first.
“As temperatures had been hovering above 40 degree Celsius over the last two or three weeks, we started inside the central dome because the external surface and the floor outside becomes extremely hot. Refurbishment of the remaining parts can be taken up later, when the mercury drops,” he said.
Reconstruction work at the iconic 362-year-old, Mughal-era mosque, located at the heart of the Walled City, began in January after HT’S report, published in 2017, revealed that the building was in an urgent need of repair. Parts of its facade and internal structure were beginning to crumble. The work was briefly halted in March this year, when the national watchdog of heritage monuments had made changes in labour hiring norms.
“We are presently removing the old layer of plaster on the inner surface of the central dome. We will start with ‘pointing’ (filling joints with mortar) and follow it up by putting a fresh layer of plaster on its wall to prevent seepage. After this, adjoining domes would be fixed,” the ASI official said.
Rampant water seepage has eroded the mosque’s structural integrity, peeled off layers of sandstone, plaster and intricate parapet carvings. The central dome was the worst affected. A number of marble finials on the smaller domes on the northern and southern gates had fallen, while the large pinnacle on the central dome had tilted.
The official said once the temperatures come down, the washing of the external surface of the dome would begin.
“Multani Mitti or Fuller’s earth will be used for washing and cleaning the external surface of the domes. No chemicals will be used.after the three domes are strengthened, we will move to other areas. Around 15 to 20 small onion domes at gate number 1 and 3 are damaged. Broken sandstone 017 DECEMBER14,2 HT first reported that Jama Masjid had started degenerating for the lack of regular maintenance.
slabs will be replaced thereafter. It will take about two to three years to complete the project,” said a senior ASI official.
Although the Delhi Waqf Board is the original custodian of the mosque, it had expressed its inability to carry out the repair work because of lack of funds and expertise.
The ASI has been maintaining and restoring the structure under a special arrangement since 1956. It last worked on the mosque in 2007, when the missing inlay work and the internal water system were restored.
Tariq Bukhari, general secretary, Jama Masjid Advisory Council (JMAC), which manages the daily affairs of the mosque, hoped that the work would continue this time until it reaches completion.
The construction of the mosque, originally named ‘Masjid-i Jahan-numa’, started in 1648 as the centrepiece of Shahjahanabad. It took six years to build and cost ₹10 lakh at the time.