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Baldev S Chauhan in Shimla
Art lovers are seeking heritage status for a village in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu Valley that is an archaeological treasure-trove, but is beginning to lose its carved wooden structures to concrete buildings.
Nirmand, situated some 200 km from Shimla, is home to some of the finest and oldest specimens of hill architecture in India. But the relics are starting to disappear due to neglect and tampering by the very villagers whose ancestors helped preserve the rich heritage for so long.
The old wooden houses with slate roofs are being replaced by modern concrete structures, which appear ugly and incongruous in the hill terrain. Art historians warn that unless immediate steps are taken to protect them, many more such monuments could be lost forever.
Considered one of the oldest villages in the western Himalayas, Nirmand has been a seat of Vedic learning, given its antiquity and large Brahmin population. The village has copper plates with inscriptions dating back to the 6th century AD.
Nirmand's broad, winding and cobbled pathways, the exquisitely carved wooden houses with typically small doors and projecting verandas, the slanting slated roofs and the prominent courtyards with piles of grain left to dry in the sun immediately transport one to ancient times.
But some locals, in their effort to renovate and rebuild the old houses, are ending up irreparably damaging them. Art lovers call it "pious vandalism".
On closer scrutiny, the damage to Nirmand's character begins to show. Some cobbled courtyards have been uprooted and replaced by chips or concrete floors. And slate on the roofs is giving way to tin.
A bird's eye-view from atop a nearby ridge reveals the extent of the damage done to this ancient village by its inhabitants in the name of modernisation.
The sprawling village has seven ancient temples. The majestic Mahadev temple, considered one of the finest specimens of wood architecture in the region, was the first victim of "pious vandalism".
"To art lovers, this monument sent a wave of nostalgia until it was renovated and changed into an ugly structure by a revenue official thinking he was doing a perfect job of it," said a regular visitor to Nirmand. The Ambika temple has also been messed up.
The modern practice of painting wooden houses is also contributing to the damage. While the traditional polish made with apricot and linseed oil was safe and preserved the wood, the chemical paints have toxic effects.
Some structures have simply been abandoned and a few are lying in ruins. The fortress-like Parshuram temple is in a dilapidated state. Its recent history is a sad one, with the main idol of the deity stolen a few years ago.
"In the last 10 years many of these houses have been demolished. Increasingly the trend is to go for concrete structures," said Paras Ram, who at 98 is the eldest resident of the village.
O C Handa, an art historian, told Indo-Asian News Service that the only way to save Nirmand from further damage would be to immediately declare it a heritage village like it has been done for Bharmaur in Chamba district.
Other art lovers have called for a law to protect the relics.
Indo-Asian News Service
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