Ashokan pillar on Ridge too suffers monumental neglect

NEW DELHI: The Ashokan pillar at Kotla Ferozeshah isn’t the only monument showing signs of decay; its cousin outside Bara Hindu Rao Hospital is also a victim of the vagaries of time. Inscriptions are fast disappearing, there is graffiti, and there are visible cracks on the pillar. There are also obvious signs of the use of cement mortar—a strict no-no when it comes to heritage conservation.
Archaeological Survey of India has restricted the entry to this pillar to stop people from damaging it, but historians say this one always had a turbulent history. “In the early 18th century, a gunpowder explosion had broken the pillar into five pieces. In 1867, the pieces were put back together, presumably with some sort of mortar,” said historian and Intach convener Swapna Liddle.
There has been considerable wear and tear ever since. Portions of the original inscription are missing, and one side of the pillar has graffiti etched on it. The authorities aren’t sure if these are recent or much older.
ASI officials admitted that there was no documentation or monitoring of the pillar to know its change of status. “With over 3,600 monuments to conserve, it’s very difficult to have periodical reviews on every site. All monuments are reviewed from time to time, but documentation done at fixed intervals isn’t available,” said a senior ASI official.
While the flaking on the Kotla pillar appears to be more recent, it would take a separate investigation to find out how things have come to such a pass at the Bara Hindu Rao pillar.
A close look at the pillar shows cement mortar, which conservationists say accelerates the deterioration of ancient monuments. “When cement mortar is used in centuries-old buildings, they react with water or anything in the air and create salts. These salts can be seen on the facade between the joints of two pieces,” said a noted conservationist, adding, “This irreplaceable loss was totally avoidable with regular scientific monitoring and preventive conservation. The stone pillars require regular attention to mitigate the effects of pollution. Instead, they seem to have suffered from the use of chemicals and cement—both extremely harmful to them.’’