Completed Projects

Restoration of Balaji Ghat, Varanasi

Balaji Ghat palace- established by Balaji Peshwa of Pune in 1735 AD.
The palace and the temple is an outstanding example of Maratha architecture in Varanasi with elaborately carved wooden elements and space typology.
Major portion of the temple was buried under heap of debris due to structural collapse in 1999 and 2009.
The phase I work by INTACH which included restoration work of the building and cleaning of debris started in 2012 with the support of the World Monuments Fund (WMF). As part of the work, the collapsed portion of the residential section is restored to its original form.
In 2016, the phase II works started with the support of American Express. The major works done during this phase included the conservation of spaces/roofs, setting up of Museum Section in the southwest portion, works done in Bismillah Khan Convention Centre.

The building has been restored with the completion of all the works in March 2022.

Restored façade (Before & After)

Restored courtyard (Before & After)

Restored Hall (Before & After)

Courtyard opposite Balaji temple (Before & After)

The Restored façade (Before & After)

The Cleaning of Gateway Facade (Before & After)

Restoration of Kaliadeh Palace (Surya Mandir), Ujjain

Kaliadeh Palace, situated on an elevated plane by the bank of River Shipra, was built by the Sultan of Mandu in 1458 C.E.
Persian inscriptions also record the visits of Mughal Emperors Akbar and Jahangir to the site.
Ranoji Scindia founded the Scindia dynasty in 1731 C.E and established his capital at Ujjain. The palace was restored in the subsequent centuries for multiple uses and the current day idol was established by patrons of the Scindia family. The Jyotiraditya Rao Scindia Trust are the present day custodians of the Palace.
Emergency restoration of the palace was completed by INTACH on 15th November 2022. The restoration work primarily focused on the waterproofing and facade upliftment of the structure. The restoration of arches, plaster repair and decorative elements were also addressed in this phase of work along with waterproofing of all exposed architectural members.

Surya Temple, Kaliadeh Palace, Ujjain

Restored Facade

Restoration and Revival of Shri Ganga Mandir, Haridwar

Shri Ganga Mandir at Har Ki Pauri on the banks of River Ganga at Haridwar was constructed by Raja Mansingh of Amer in the 16th century CE.
Restoration of the temple has been carried out by INTACH with funding from M.R. Morarka Foundation.
The substantially altered temple has been conserved wherein the concrete shikhar was carefully dismantled to reveal the original domed structure. Structural strengthening, consolidation and reconstruction of architectural elements of the temple have been undertaken.

Shri Ganga Mandir, Haridwar

Ganga Mandir during restoration

Ganga Mandir after restoration

Restoration of Ancient well and Shiv temple, Surat

The conservation work of the ancient well and Shiv temple at Mora Village (Surat), funded by Reliance Industries Ltd. under their CSR programme commenced in May 2019 by INTACH.
The project included the restoration of both the historic structures and the development of the site making it accessible to thousands of pilgrims who visit the village as part of the religious festivals hosted here.
The on-site work got delayed due to the pandemic, however, with a committed workforce, the project was finally completed in December 2021.
A cultural event was hosted by the village Sarpanch in April 2022 during which the work done by INTACH was highly appreciated by Reliance team and the locals.

Shiv temple and the well (Jatra kuan) after restoration

Heritage Impact Assessment Projects

The AH Division has prepared several HIAs in the year 2021-22 including for Property No. 14, Hailey road, New Delhi in the regulated area of Agrasen ki Baoli, Delhi; .Aadharshila School at Saket, New Delhi in the regulated area of Satpula, Delhi; Allahabad High court staff housing in the regulated area of Khusrobagh monuments, Prayagraj; Property No. 3909-12 at Hamilton Road, Mori Gate, Delhi in the regulated area of City wall; Stone Castle CHSL Borivili, Mumbai in the regulated area of Mandapeshwar Caves.

Tomb of Shah Begum, Khusrobagh, Prayagraj

Mandapeshwar Caves, Borivili, Mumbai

Urgent Interventions for Heritage at Risk

INTACH AH’s social media campaign has made efforts to bring to light the built heritage sites at risk. INTACH has taken up urgent interventions at few sites across the country to save them from risk of collapse or loss of components.
Urgent interventions have been undertaken for selected sites with the help of initiation funds by INTACH (as nominal financial incentives) and direct coordination and supervision by in-house AH team, with the help of masons. Matching support from owners/ community are expected in terms of shramdaan, finance or kind.
Few of the sites wherein such interventions have been undertaken by INTACH are:
- Bhensola Garhi, Ujjain District, MP – Structural repairs were carried out and collapsed roofs were carefully dismantled and reconstructed in the Raola style garhi of Malwa region.
- Barh Ki Chowki, Delhi – The immense structural damage and roof collapse caused by Barh tree growth and neglect in one of the oldest Police Chowkis at Delhi has been addressed, which included jack-arched roof construction and stone masonry walls being rebuilt.
- Sharda Mata Baoli, Maihar, Madhya Pradesh – The conservation and cleaning of the damaged Baoli has been undertaken with the help of Maihar Municipality and INTACH Chapter. The front gateway has been restored as a pilot restoration work.
- Oli Temple, Old Vaishno Devi route, Jammu – The work has been completed successfully at the temple which was neglected and dilapidated for many years. The adjacent historic baoli has also been restored.
- Charanpaduka Temple, Ayodhya, U.P. – The emergency restoration of the dilapidated portion of the temple complex has been completed.
- Shiv Temple, Rajanawagaon, Chhattisgarh – The collapsing temple structure has been conserved in collaboration with the local community and INTACH Kawardha Chapter.
- French Major’s Tomb – The French Major’s tomb at Gurgaon, Haryana has been restored. A small event was organised by the INTACH Gurgaon chapter on 16th March 2022 to celebrate the successful restoration of the tomb.

Barh ki Chowki Delhi
(Before restoratlion)

Barh ki Chowki (after restoration)

Restoration work at Sharda
Mata Baoli, Maihar

Shiv Temple, Rajanagaon

Bhensola Garhi M.P.

Charan Paduka Temple,
Guptar Ghat, Ayodhya

Restoration of the architectural
details at Oli Temple, Jammu

Restored shikhar of Oli Temple,
Jammu (After restored)

French Major’s tomb before restoration

French Major’s tomb after restoration

Technical Assistance for unprotected built heritage

Requests for technical assistance from both public and private owners of heritage buildings are addressed by the AH division on a regular basis.
To provide this assistance towards conservation of heritage buildings under threat, AH architects and conservation architects visit the site for a preliminary assessment of the buildings or coordinate with Chapters and professionals in the region for the same.
In recent years, these have included Fort Kotda and Shahar Fort (Rajasthan), Impur Missionary buildings (Nagaland), Devi Kothi Temple in Chamba (Himachal Pradesh), Bose Institute (West Bengal), Shahjahanpur Court building (Uttar Pradesh) and Kumbakonam Chatram, Varadaraja Perumal Temple and St. Joseph Church (Tamil Nadu), the remains and temples in Haat Village (Uttarakhand) and Palace on Wheels in National Rail Museum (Delhi).

Haat village, Uttarakhand

Missionary building,
Impur, Nagaland

Bose Institute,
Kolkata, West Bengal

Varadaraja Perumal Temple,
Villupuram, Tamil Nadu

Heritage Impact Assessment Projects

Tomb of Shah Begum, Khusrobagh, Prayagraj

Mandapeshwar Caves, Borivili, Mumbai

Ganga Cultural Documentation

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation assigned INTACH to undertake the documentation of built, natural and intangible heritage along the Ganga.
The Architectural Heritage Division has completed the listing and documentation of 37 districts, 26 districts of Uttar Pradesh, 10 districts of Bihar and 1 district of Jharkhand that lie along the banks of the river.
The scope of work was to identify and prepare heritage database/ inventories of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage properties found within 5 kms on each side of the River Ganga from Gaumukh to Gangasagar through primary survey.
An area of approx. 16,000 sq. km was covered by the team and a total of 5361 historic sites were identified.
The documentation includes built heritage of various typologies like residential, institutional, religious, defense, industrial, commercial, water structures, archaeological etc.
The documentation also included study of the urban setting and evolution pattern of the major cities situated along the banks, which were ruled by several significant rulers who controlled trade and communication via the Ganga, the most important waterways channel of the country.

Lal imli Mill located in the heart of Kanpur city, Kanpur district

Visrat Ghat in Farrukhabad city, Farrukhabad district

Conservation and repair work of a saree weavers vernacular cluster, Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh

AH INTACH undertook conservation and repair work in a vernacular weaver cluster in Andar Shahar, Chanderi in 2017. This was an initiative to help weavers repair their homes using traditional materials and techniques and demonstrate benefits of their continued usage.

It was achieved through a consultative approach with participation of the community (the owners and local masons) along with INTACH Chanderi Chapter. The conserved cluster includes a single storey vernacular home, first floor of a two-storeyed haveli and a shared toilet facility.

A high angle view of a small town

A group of people standing outside of a building

Conservation of Barsana Baoli, Uttar Pradesh

Barsana Baoli located in the sacred region of Braj, is a three-storeyed stepped well believed to be constructed in the 18th century by Harsingh Tantiya. A square kund is located at the bottom with a circular well at the rear end.

The Conservation work at Barsana Baoli was undertaken by AH INTACH in 2019 with the help of the local masons, community and Maan Mandir Seva Sansthan. The work utilized traditional techniques such as constructing a lime chakki. It also involved cleaning of vegetation and debris from the neglected structure. The Natural Heritage Division of INTACH was involved in carrying out the cleaning of the water body.

A stone archway between brick buildings

During work on site

A stone wall with a stone building in the background (before and after)

Conservation of Khairagarh Baoli, Chhattisgarh

Khairagarh baoli (stepwell) in the erstwhile Khairagarh Palace complex is amongst the royal heritage of the princely state. It dates from about 1898 and is a live water source.

It was conserved in 2019-20 using traditional materials and techniques by AH INTACH in collaboration with Indira Kala Sangit Vishwavidyalaya, INTACH Khairagarh Chapter and local masons.

This was a successful model of conservation since the custodians of the historic structure value the historic property and the use of traditional methods.

Khairagarh Baoli steps Before After

Khairagarh Baoli Site

Conservation of Victoria Market, Gwalior

The Victoria Market, also known as Rani Laxmi Bai Market is one of the most significant heritage buildings of Gwalior. It is located in Maharaj Bada which itself is an important landmark of the town having many heritage buildings within the precinct. The building functioned as a market since its construction which was completed in 1910. Unfortunately, the building was damaged and partially collapsed in fire on 5th June 2010. The Municipal Corporation requested INTACH to prepare the DPR and execute the work. The proposal included reconstruction of the collapsed part, retrofitting the remaining part which had withstood the effects of fire, cleaning of soot deposits and water proofing. The execution work had started in January 2015. However due to improper flow of funds, the work had halted on several occasions. The work finally completed in 2018.

Before

After

Present Status

Virtual Experiential Museum, Man Mahal, Varanasi

The Virtual Experiential Museum has been created inside the palace of Raja Man Singh along the bank of River Ganga in Varanasi. The virtual museum has 6 galleries which display the history, architecture, intangible culture, the sacred geography and literary philosophies of Kashi. The contents, dramatic scripts and digital animations successfully reflect the dynamic diversity of Banaras. The museum was designed and curated by INTACH, and was executed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

The Museum was inaugurated on 19^th February 2019 by the Prime Minister. Members from INTACH and NCSM were present during the inauguration after which the site was formally handed over to ASI, Sarnath Circle by NCSM for regular management and maintenance.

In 2018, the Virtual Experiential Museum was conceptualized within the 17^th century Man Mahal palace by the Ministry of Culture. The museum was designed and curated by INTACH, and was executed by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). It comprises of 6 galleries which displays the historical timeline, architectural marvels, narrow lanes, multi-ethnic cultures & craftsmanship, descent of Ganga, faith & spirituality, wisdom and philosophies of Varanasi.

The museum was remotely inaugurated on 19^th February 2019 by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Members from the INTACH and NCSM team were present during the inauguration after which the site was formally handed over to ASI, Sarnath Circle by NCSM for regular management and maintenance.

The museum was visited by the Prime Minister on 6^th July 2019. He was highly appreciative of the interactive experiential concept and the state-of-the-art exhibits. INTACH Varanasi chapter has organized several trips to the museum for the members and school children.

Before – Entry Reception

After – Gallery 1: ‘Bird’s Eye View

Before – Main Hall

After – Gallery 4: ‘Gangavataran’

Before – Gallery on Kashi

After – Gallery 5: ‘Faith & Spirituality’– Gallery on Kashi

Shri Narendra Modi appreciating the 3D wall mural and the ‘Descent of Ganga’ at the central hall

Music in Banaras

Ayurvedic Traditions

Conservation and Development of Audrey House (13th Finance Commission project for Conservation and Development of heritage sites in Jharkhand)

Audrey house, originally part of the Raj Bhawan, is more than 150 years old. The conservation work of the building commenced on 30th April 2013 and as part of the work, all insensitive later additions and alterations were removed and the damaged areas were repaired. The damaged brick walls have been stabilized and the sloping roof restored. The open area surrounding the building has also been developed based on a detailed site development plan with lawns and gazebos, amphitheatre, parking, guardrooms and garden furniture. The site was inaugurated by HH President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee on 9th January 2016 with much funfair by the state government

Victoria Market1

Maharaja Duleep Singh Memorial, Bassian Kothi, Ludhiana, Punjab

The existing Kothi served as the lodge of last Maharaja of Punjab ‘Duleep Singh’ on his way to exile in Britain. The structure fell in ruins as it stood un-operational for years. The conservation work of Kothi initiated in 2011 by A.H and concluded in 2015. The structure has been restored as a museum, dedicated to the life of Maharaja with replicas of his belongings. The present Chief Minister of Punjab Shri Prakash Singh Badal inaugurated the museum and highly appreciated the work done by INTACH.

Victoria Market1

Conservation Of Raja Ka Mahal, Jaisalmer

Located at the highest point in the fort and built about 860 years ago, ‘Raja ka Mahal’ is a seven storey palace with beautifully carved balconies and crowns of pagoda shaped cupolas and it forms an integral part of the fort. Affected during the Bhuj earthquake in 2001 and 2009, the palace suffered from severe structural cracks which are increasing in width with time. Seepage of water in the foundation has added to the deterioration of the palace.

Emergency work and other conservation work of the palace is being funded by the Prince Clause Foundation, World Monument Fund, Giridhar Smarak Trust and entrusted to INTACH. The emergency retrofitting work which included tying the perpendicular exterior walls at the corner junction was executed in August 2013 and proposal for further conservation works has been prepared.

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