Patna Collectorate, Golghar were used as observation stations during Great Trigonometrical Survey

The historic buildings of centuries-old Patna Collectorate and the iconic Golghar here were used as observation stations during the Great Trigonometrical Survey, a landmark project of the 19th century that aimed to measure the entire Indian subcontinent with scientific precision, according to archival documents.

The Patna Collectorate complex, parts of which are over 250 years old, is situated on the banks of Ganga and endowed with high ceilings, huge doors and hanging skylights. One of the last surviving signatures of Dutch architecture in the Bihar capital, its fate currently hangs in the balance.

The Bihar government had in 2016 proposed to demolish the old collectorate for a new high-rise complex, triggering public outcry and appeals from various quarters in India and abroad to spare the demolition and preserve it as a "signpost of Patna's history".

Subsequently, the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH), the Patna High Court had last year filed two petitions challenging the demolition proposal.

After hearing the two PILs, the Patna High Court had last September stayed the proposed demolition of the government complex while restraining the state authorities from "causing any harm to the collectorate building until further orders", bringing some relief to the heritage lovers.

The next hearing is expected to be held soon.

Historians, urban planners, conservation architects and other heritage experts have been appealing to the Nitish Kumar government to not dismantle the collectorate, saying it will "set a very bad precedent" and "jeopardise" the fate of other colonial-era buildings.

The INTACH Patna Chapter team, during the course of the litigation has found some interesting historical references in connection with the collectorate, which further heightens its heritage value and the need for preservation for posterity.

J K Lall, veteran architect and convener of the INTACH's Patna Chapter said, "A report has been found of early 1880s on the Great Trigonometrical Survey, which mentions that Patna Collectorate and Golghar and some other buildings in Patna were used in the survey."