Summary of this article
Between 2019 and 2024, the Jammu and Kashmir government undertook renovation of 15 CAPEX-funded projects and initiated work on 33 additional heritage sites across the Union Territory
While authorities have run projects for the restoration of heritage sites, preservationists argue that the pristine architecture of buildings is being compromised
The renovation of Aali Masjid, Srinagar’s second-largest mosque, has evoked concern among heritage activists who have blamed the authorities for altering the original architecture
A long-held myth about Srinagar’s second-biggest mosque, Aali Masjid, was that it was a haunted place. But, in reality, the mosque had faced decay over time, which prevented prayers from being held here for several years. At one side of the huge structure, people offered prayers while the repair work of the mosque went on from the other side. In the courtyard of the mosque, iron sheets and the splintered wood remained stacked up. The ceiling of the structure was being renovated with an intricate wooden pattern.
Now, the repair and restoration work that has been undertaken at the mosque has heritage lovers worried. Preservationists blame the authorities for altering the original structure of the Aalia Masjid and that of several old sites in Kashmir during renovation work.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Jammu and Kashmir government undertook 15 projects for restoration work under the capital expenditure (CAPEX) plan, and work was also taken up on 33 other projects under the scheme for the restoration and preservation of heritage. Some of the sites which have been repaired include forts, monuments, and religious places.
However, Convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Jammu and Kashmir chapter, Saleem Beg, says that most of the renovation work that has been undertaken in Kashmir has been done without following preservation norms. “We had done the restoration of the Aalia Masjid in the 2004-05 period in collaboration with the Tourism department, but that has been lost during the renovation work that is currently going on. It is a historic mosque, and its historicity and architecture have been compromised. It had a problem of moisture, which was fixed, but new cement work has been added. Unnecessary stone and woodwork that has been done, and the structure has lost its pristine appeal,” he says. Beg adds that the “same was true about the renovation work that has been undertaken at several other sites in Kashmir.”
Altaf Hussain, Convenor of INTACH’s Kashmir chapter, says that the norm for the restoration of the old structures was to do it in a manner that the original architecture was maintained. “If the repair work has to be done, it has to be done in the same material. If a particular type of stone or wood was used in the old structure, the repairs should be done using those materials. We did it for the Dastgeer Sahib shrine; its structural originality was maintained after the fire damage,” he says.
However, officials maintain they have followed government regulations in the renovation of Aali Masjid and other sites in Jammu and Kashmir. Deepika Kumari Sharma, Secretary in Jammu and Kashmir’s Culture Department, says that the restoration works are done after following proper building renovation rules. “The executing agency is the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, but we have also taken the view of the experts from the Islamic University and other universities on the renovation of old buildings,” she adds.
An official of the R&B department, who has been deputed to oversee the renovation work at Aali Masjid, says that they have used cedar wood for the repair work, while the coffer ceiling renovation was in accordance with the architecture of old sites.
However, apart from flagging issues with the renovation of Aali Masjid, INTACH has said in its past reports that a large number of Grade 1 sites, which are of historic importance, in Srinagar city were not in good condition, and some heritage structures also faced damages in the last two decades. The damages or lack of upkeep have continued even as historians and Kashmir experts note that the region was full of sites that not only depict a unique construction style, but these structures are also of “immense historical value.”
Contrary to government claims, in Srinagar city itself, some government offices are being run from old buildings of historical importance, while outside the city, some sites like the Mugal Sarais on Chadoora-Pulwama road remain in ruins. These roadside inns once formed part of a larger historical network along the Mughal Road, a route used by Mughal rulers and their caravans to travel to Kashmir, which now connects South Kashmir’s Shopian area with the Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu region.
Muhammad Ibrahim, an expert in Kashmir studies, says that the “building architecture was reflective of the culture and the identity of the place.” “Kashmir has seen lots of changes in the building architecture, too. The modern architecture of some mosques is a blend of the past and the present. There are some religious structures that have dome-shaped architecture, and the others have pyramidal ones,” he adds.
S M Sahni, former Director Tourism Jammu alleges that the authorities have resorted to vandalism in the name of restoration of several heritage sites, including temples in the Jammu region. “In some temples and heritage sites, cement, tiles, and concrete work have been done, which is pure vandalism, rather than restoration. Some of these structures can’t even be recognised, and it's better that these sites are left unrepaired so that at least the historicity of the building can be preserved.”
Kashmiri Pandit leader Ashwani Chrungoo says that the authorities need to ensure that the architectural style of the old buildings, particularly the temples, was maintained both in Kashmir and Jammu. “ The religious sites, be it the mosques or temples, have been reflective of Jammu and Kashmir's cultural past, and there is a need to preserve them. In the restoration work, the originality of the temples shouldn’t be lost,” he says.
