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Rafique AzizAurangabad, July 20:The structural beauty and marvelous architecture make, Bibi ka Maqbara, the most sought-after monument in the district. It attracts lakhs of domestic and international tourists, every year. However, the visitors would hardly spare a moment to acknowledge the effort of the archaeologists, invested in conserving the heritage, keeping its beauty intact, and preserving the cultural legacy for the next generations. Hence, Aurangabad First encountered the hardship being experienced by its conservators.The deputy superintending archaeological chemist (Science Branch, Western Zone) Shrikant Misra said," Our chemical conservation work is result-oriented. The deadline and measurement book (popularly known in government offices) used in the civil construction works are not applicable to us. We face several challenges in fulfilling the tasks. For eg: it takes a week to clean and complete the chemical process on one marble screen (having intricate design), but the work may prolong if it is not done up to our mark. Hence, the task is very delicate, challenging, and responsible. It consumes time, but perfection is our ultimate motto."25 days spent to erect scaffoldings around main domeThe conservation of marble on the principal dome and other domes on four towering minarets and sub-minarets will start soon. The team of archaeologists had to crack hard nuts in erecting the scaffolding. " We used wooden and steel scaffolding around the main dome (having a diameter of 44 metres) so that our workforce could conserve the marble on the dome as well the metallic pinnacle (of 3 metres height). It took us 20-25 days to erect the scaffoldings and conduct trials on it. It was challenging as we had to ensure that there is no damage to the heritage and the manpower. The marble on the principal dome was cleaned up, many years ago. We also used safety nets, safety belts, first aid kits, and most importantly deployed person, who are physically and mentally fit (does not have any illness or phobia of height) to avoid any untoward incident. The scientific conservation of the main dome will be starting soon as I had inspected the site by climbing up till the pinnacle on July 16, pointed out Misra.Earthern colours from Rajasthan to match old paintingsThe paintings are a treasure trove of the medieval period. Such type of earthen colour paintings can be spotted in the palaces of Rajasthan, Delhi, etc. There are paintings on the ceilings of the mosque, baradaris, main entrance, etc on the campus. We have brought earth colours (dark forest green and maroon) from Rajasthan. The work is ongoing with patience and care so as to restore the freshness of paintings. We also face challenges of colour re-integration (locally called as a final touch up). A chemical coating is also done to protect the paintings from the effect of climate (especially monsoon and winter) and avoid fading of colours (in summer), said the ASI official.Monsoon forced us to halt conservation of doorsThe wooden doors are covered with brass metal sheets for safety. The sheets bear foliage designs However, the majority of the doors are exposed to the rains. The conservation of doors had been stopped after cleaning them. They are resembling as gold sheets. The chemical coatings made upon the doors started wearing out due to the hitting of rain. The chemical coating needs at least a few hours or one night to get thickened and transparent, but the rainfall was defeating the purpose. Hence the science branch will resume the coating works to prolong the life of doors after the monsoon season, said the deputy superintending archaeological chemist.BoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxMultani Mitti to beautify the ' Taj of Deccan 'The science branch used Clay-pack treatment to glorify the beauty of Maqbara. The clay-pack is like a face pack. " We use 'Bentonite clay' or Fuller's Earth (a refined form of Multani Mitee), and add few cleansing chemicals including glycerine in it. The slurry mixture is then pasted on the marble (of 2 mm thick layer) and left for 10-12 hours to dry. The clay gets dry and automatically leaves the surface. Later on, we wash it with water. The slurry paste extracts the stains and the marble restores to its whiteness and shinning. In the summer season, we had to cover the clay mixture with polythene sheets (sometimes) to prolong the moistness in it and get expected results," said Shrikant Misra." The tomb of Mughal queen Dilras Banu Begum alias Rabia Durrani is in the centre of the mausoleum and located in the underground. The surface is octagonal in shape and is protected by screens and its interior includes a passage (all marble) for the movement of visitors. The monuments re-opened in the district on June 16, but the science branch started its conservation works, from June 6, so that there is no movement of visitors and could complete at the earliest. Through 'clay pack' treatment, we removed the yellowish and brown stains on the marble (near tomb as well as the passage), screens, the parapet of overhead octagonal-shape gallery, floral designs outside the mausoleum, etc. Almost 90-95 percent conservation of marble in the interior portion has been completed, barring exterior portion including the domes," he explained.BoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxNew look of Maqbara by December-end" The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 50 lakh. The restoration works are divided into three parts - painting, marble, and doors. The works were started in March 2021, but owing to technical reasons, we had to halt it and restart from the first week of June. Presently, the conservation of paintings is underway, the conservation of marble has been completed to an extent, and the conservation of doors will resume after the monsoon. I and my team comprising two modellers, one archaeological chemist, photographer along with the workforce of an outsourced agency are giving our best shot. The visitors would be able to see the new look of a glowing and renewed heritage by December-end as we are striving to complete all the works soon," hoped Misra.

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Aurangabad :Multani Mitti plays vital role in restoring beauty of Bibi ka Maqbara

Rafique Aziz Aurangabad, July 20: The structural beauty and marvelous architecture make, Bibi ka Maqbara, the most sought-after monument ... ...