Bhubaneswar Nov 27 : INTACH Odisha Chapter Convenor Anil Dhir pleaded to the government to restore the Dak Bungalow of the Old Town, the earliest surviving colonial vestige of Bhubaneswar which has been witness to so much history and has survived the vicissitudes of time lies neglected.
Located at the western-most portion of the Ekamra Kshetra, the Dak Bungalow has an interesting history. It was built sometime in the late 1850’s for the convenience of British officers and was also the staging point for mail runners of the Imperial Mail Service, he said.
A portion of the Dak Bungalow was razed a few years back to build a small office of the Revenue Inspector. The other half is ruined.
Dhir said the broken walls, wild vegetation creeping in through the windows and filth are all that one could see on the premise of a structure that is historically significant.
He said a team from INTACH had inspected the place two years ago and found it to be structurally intact.The INTACH Bhubaneswar chapter had written several letters to the Odisha government to restore the Dak Bungalow.
It has served as a makeshift courthouse for proceedings held by British officials. The many properties in the Old Town that were taken up by the gentry of Bengal under the draconian Sunset Law were auctioned at this place.
The Dak Bungalow was also used by the surveyors of the Great Indian Trigonometrical Survey held between 1840-1870. The Bengal Nagpur Railways officials too camped here when the railway line was being laid.
It was converted into the Settlement office and remained as the R.I office for years before a new adjoining building was made.
The modest two-roomed bungalow was set in a thickly wooded plot with a well and two outhouses for the Khansama and Chowkidar. The large walled compound was dotted with trees, many fruit-bearing and others for shade. Just a single tamarind tree remains.
Dhir said the Dak Bungalow was renovated during the visit of Lord Curzon in 1899 and it was from here that he went to the Curzon Tower to view the Lingaraj Temple.
The place has been known as the Dakabangala Chhak for ages. Old-timers tell of the times when leopards would come and rest in the verandah.
The locals believe that the place is haunted and it has its share of strange paranormal happenings. Some old-timers recollect that there were two graves of Englishmen inside the compound, however, no trace of them can be found.
The thick walls and the wooden roof beams are undamaged and the building can be easily restored with some conservation efforts, Dhir said.
Even the outhouses and the horse stable are in a restorable condition. Built of thick laterite stone blocks and chunsurkhi, the walls have little damage except for the peeling plaster, he said.
The heritage expert claimed that he has discovered several accounts of Britishers who stayed here for months, convalescing from diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
Many physicians of Calcutta then would recommend patients to go to Bhubaneswar and imbibe the therapeutic mineral water of the well inside the Kedar Gouri temple complex.
It was believed that the water had curative and rejuvenating properties. A two-storied sanatorium had been made near the present-day Ravi Talkies, which too catered to the convalescing Britishers.
Unfortunately, it was demolished ten years ago and a block of flats has come up at the place.
INTACH State Convenor Amiya Bhushan Tripathy is of the opinion that the structure can easily be restored and can be used as a museum and interpretation centre of the various artifacts of the Old Town.
Dhir said INTACH will soon be sending a proposal to the state government to restore the structure.
