ASI to begin conservation work on Diwan-i-Khas from tomorrow

The Archaeological Survey of India will start from tomorrow conservation work on the 17th century Diwan-i-Khas monument inside the Red Fort after a portion of the roof of the Mughal-period hall "sagged".
Allaying apprehensions, the ASI Delhi Circle, however, said there was nothing "alarming" and it was a "routine" conservation exercise.
"The Diwan-i-Khas has been standing for over three centuries and the roof was built in a multi-layered fashion with wood layering at the bottom. And, over time, the wood has aged and must have given way or rotten, because of which the portion of the roof had sagged," Superintending Archaeologist of ASI Delhi Circle, Vasant Swarankar told PTI.

"We are starting the conservation work from Monday. I have already issued orders for it," he said.
Rejecting a media report about the "dangerous condition" of the hall, Swarankar said, "There is nothing to worry about unlike what the report claims."
The Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience) with openings of engrailed arches on its sides consists of a rectangular central chamber surrounded by aisles of arches rising from piers and is one of the central points of attraction in the complex of the World Heritage site which has an average footfall of 12,000-15,000 daily.

According to ASI Delhi, the entry to the hall was restricted to the public in the beginning of the current year only, after "we had found visitors vandalising the artwork".

"The sagging was reported a couple of years ago only but the due process of conservation takes time as a lot of preparation has to precede the actual conservation work," Swarankar said.
"So, the moment we identified the reason for the sagging, we realised we had to replace the wood. So, we sent the wood sample from the Hall to Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun to find its make. Meanwhile, we worked on its old drawings and collected documentations to lay out a road map for the conservation. It takes time," he said.
The famed hall, a testimony to the iconic Mughal architecture, once had the legendary Peacock Throne and silver work on its ceiling.

"Over the marble pedestal in its centre stood the famous Peacock Throne which was taken away by dictator Nadir Shah in 1739. The ceiling had silver work which were also destroyed by him. The British later replaced it with wooden ceiling with a copper layering and redid the floral designs," he added.