Mysuru: The physical shifting of one of the eight armouries of Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan, which lies adjacent to the railway track at Srirangapatna Railway Station began on Monday. With the help of trolley and jacks, the ancient monument was pushed 35 mtrs towards the new location which is 100 mtrs away from the current location.
On Tuesday, they will shift the armoury to 65 mtrs distance and by Friday, the process is expected to be completed. According to official sources, once the shifting of armoury is done and new railway line is constructed on this 1.7 km stretch, the travel time between Mysuru and Bengaluru will come down by 10 to 15 minutes.
Once the armoury is shifted to the new place, the double line on 1.7 km stretch will be taken up and is expected to be completed by March end or by first week of April. The work is being executed under the direction and supervision of a team of experts from America. The work of shifting this nearly 1000 tonne armoury is being jointly handled by the US firm and an India based firm.
According to officials, the shifting of Tipu’s armoury will be an eye opener for Archaeological Survey of India. The successful completion of this project will open the gates for other such projects. In America, every year nearly 300 monuments are shifted from one place to another but it’s not been done in Asia. If the monument is shifted successfully, in days to come more such ancient monuments including mosques, temples and heritage buildings which are an obstacle for implementing infrastructural projects on national and state highway will be easily shifted across the country. Due to such obstacles many necessary projects are either getting delayed or deviated.
According to officials, the shifting of Tipu’s armoury will be an eye opener for Archaeological Survey of India. The successful completion of this project will open the gates for other such projects. In America, every year nearly 300 monuments are shifted from one place to another but it’s not been done in Asia. If the monument is shifted successfully, in days to come more such ancient monuments including mosques, temples and heritage buildings which are an obstacle for implementing infrastructural projects on national and state highway will be easily shifted across the country. Due to such obstacles many necessary projects are either getting delayed or deviated.
Though the tender for Tipu’s armoury project was awarded in 2013 itself, completion of formalities took time and the work started only nine months ago. According to officials, the reason for taking time for is due to a cautious approach by the authorities as this is the first time ever that such a project has been taken up not only in India but also in entire Asia. The armoury which is constructed by erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan comes under the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Karnataka. As it is situated close to the railway track at Srirangapatna Railway Station it was impeding the doubling work of railway track. Two railway quarters have been demolished in Srirangapatna Railway station premise to make way for the armoury. When the Railways initiated tenders for relocating the monument, there were mo bidders. However when tenders were called again, the project was given to a US-based firm specialised in relocating buildings along with PSL, a New Delhi-based company. To shift the armoury, railways will be spending Rs 12.5 Crore.
How is it being shifted?
The one metre thick, 40 ft long and 30 ft wide armoury which weighs 1000 tonne is built on a 15 ft foundation. Already a 12 ft canal has been dug from the existing armoury point till the venue of its relocation and it will be shifted using a trolley without disturbing its structure using jacks and some advanced machinery. The technology used in shifting armoury has not been tried anywhere in Asia. The imported technology and equipment like Unified Jack System, which is controlled and operated through remote control, special drilling equipment and special trolley to shift the monument, have been hired from the US. The armoury is a protected monument under the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961.
About Tipu’s Armory:
“There are eight armouries around the Srirangapatna fort which are nearly 250 years old. The armouries were constructed for easy supply of arms and gunpowder. These armouries are rectangular in shape with shallow roofs, thick walls and small entries. These armouries can be seen at the Old Mosque, Elephant gate, Somalinga gate, Gangadhareshwara Temple, Masjid, Dargah and two near Srirangapatana Railway station. To construct this armoury sea shell, jaggery, egg and mortar were used. These ingredients were mixed together and kept for one week before they were used.
