The Sangrur Baradari in its glory
The Sangrur Baradari, a 200 year old marble structure, is in a state of complete neglect. Surrounded by a garden named Banasar Bagh, it was a picturesque monument in the past. However, it is past its prime now and in absence of regular maintenance, it shows only the faintest hints of a past glory. It’s crumbling condition betrays the attitude of the authorities who patently don’t care about it any more and as a result of their indifference, it is dying a slow death. Visitors too, have a dubious role in its defacement as they continue to damage it despite a notice put up on the entrance.
The Baradari was constructed by rulers of the erstwhile Jind estate in the nineteenth century and resmbles the famous baradari in Lahore constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It has the classic architecture of a baradari with twelve doors on all of its four sides. In addition to these doors, its four marble domes, one on each side, are pleasing and unique features. Visitors can look at its beautiful surroundings from the top of the complex which can be reached easily with the help of the stairs.
This beutiful and important piece of Punjab’s heritage is quickly being wasted owing to the pathetic attitude of the administration. There is no regular upkeep of this precious monument and there is no full time caretaker appointed for it. The administration hasn’t even bothered to get the main door painted or conserving the walls to restore its beauty. In absence of regular maintenance, two of the four marble domes have crumbled and the other two aren’t in best condition. The broken pieces are scattered everywhere, painting a sorry picture of neglect
The building is in serious need for funds for maintenance. The local MLA had got some funds released for it way back around 2007, but nobody knows whether any of it had got spent on the monument. Since then the site has succumed once again to neglect and teh ravages of the environment. Some NGOs and local citizens have taken up the task of restoration of its glory. Let us hope that their efforts would bear some fruit in near future and prevent yet another historical building becoming victim of official apathy.
Earnest efforts of NGO,s are showing some results, in a talk show on PTC name Punjab Speaks, Geetika Kahla, PS Tourism Dept. Pb declared that they have plan to spend 1.25 on Baradari Part of Banasar Garden & 1.25 Crore would be spend on Diwan Khanna part of Banasar Garden. hope the plan would mature in positive way.