Historic monument regains lost glory
Once considered among the most broken-down and heavily encroached upon nawabi era structures, kothi Gulistan-e-Erum has finally regained its lost glory, courtesy the UP Housing and Development Board (HDB)—the construction agency into the project-- and the extreme engineering that was put into practice to bring the structure back in its original shape.
Officials also called the entire restoration project as the most authentic one. They said the company ensuring the restoration work used the most authentic plastering material that was used in the nawabi period.
“A good amount of lime, surkhi, jaggery, mixture of pulses, bel fruit, sugarcane extract and sticky material to bind the whole material has been used in plastering,” said an HDB official.
The use of natural extracts in plastering material has restored the sheen of the structure, said Nitin Kohli, the owner of the firm that carried out the restoration work.
Prior to plastering, Kohli said the whole structure was chemically treated, making it free of the lime wash that was carried out earlier by the government offices that were housed in the monument.
It is said that until 1970, the structure used to house several government departments, including PWD and health.
Of the other challenging jobs, which the firm undertook while restoring the towering structure, Kohli said changing of heavy iron girders at the base of the monument was the toughest. “Changing all 26 girders, weighing around 600 kg each, was the toughest part. Our team did an excellent job and replaced the girders using heavy jacks to support the structure,” said Kohli, adding that the work got much appreciation from other departments as well.
Historian Yogesh Praveen said the monument was established by Nasir-ud-din Haider, the king of Oudh, as a library during 1827 AD to 1837 AD. “It also served as a place for the king’s get-togethers, to which his British friends, including a painter and barber, were frequent visitors,” said Praveen.
He said the mansion was also a witness to the death of king Nasir-ud-din Haider after he was poisoned by his close aides.