The fate of listed heritage buildings of Mysuru - Devaraja Market and Lansdowne buildings: has been a subject of discussion and debate for a pretty long time and a general consensus is not yet reached by the waring officials. I don't know how long MCC and the government department have put the old structures on the backburner without any iota of realization that these amazing colonial buildings have wilted for a long time and owing to official apathy, parts of them are falling apart.
That across India despite protests from historians and heritage lovers innumerable listed heritage structures are facing slow death and at stake are the culture and ethos of the places. The historical Devaraja Market and lansdowne buildings are stuck in the vortex of petty politics and redtapism that led to the loss of many structures in Mysuru and Bangalore cities. The adjacent state of Tamil Nadu has many countless heritage buildings that remain unrepaired and restored as of today. Irresponsible and poorly motivated officials have set the roadblocks and they don't care a fig if the colonial or heritage buildings are turned into mounds of rubble, suddenly snapping the connectivity between the past and the present.
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| Lansdowne Building, Musuru, KA KAstarofmysore.com |
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| pathetic condition of Devaraya market, Mysury,starofmysore.com |
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| heritage Devaraja Market, Mysuru, KA. .indiatimes.com |
A few days ago some former Congress Mayors addressed a press meet during which they did not keep quiet and instead opened the Pandora's box by demanding demolition of over a century old heritage structures in the heart of the city — Devaraja Market and Lansdowne building that have not yet been either repaired or conserved. Quite furious over the demolition proposal mooted by the former Congress Mayors S. Mahadev, President of the Tenants Association strongly condemned their uncalled and unwarranted statement at this juncture.
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| .heritage buildings. brainyquote.com |
The crux of the matter is responsible former Congress Mayors who were not technical experts, never touched upon the conservation of these two iconic heritage structures that are located in the heart of the city. The merchants objected to the ex-Mayors’ contention that the two structures had become too dilapidated to warrant total demolition.
Built 135 years ago by the erstwhile Mysore Maharajah, the Devaraja Market building is said to be the only unique place where all kinds of daily needs were available under one roof. If these two iconic buildings are in ruins because of official litharge, irresponsibility of the govt. officials as well as others like the MCC and the District Administration. Have they ever done the needed periodic repairs to save the heritage aspects of the building.? What sort of gratitude do they have for the royal family of Mysore particularly, Mysore ruler Devaraja Wadiyar, who took so much pains to have them built for the benefits of the people. The merchants squarely blamed the MCC’s Engineering Section for not cleaning the Market regularly and taking up timely repairs. Dereliction of duty on the part of govt. officials is unethical and their carelessness is responsible for the pathetic state of the market buildings. Also at stake is the fate of so many shop owners who have been financially ruined since the closure of the buildings. Periodic maintaining of the Devaraja Market is no less important than any other market places.
Mayors’ suggestion for demolition of the two buildings at this point of time when the MCC is yet to take a final decision on the matter has made the merchants more angry than before and added fuel to the burning embers. The Tenants Association strongly condemned the demand of the former Mayors to demolish the two buildings.
That it is not the honor that you take with you, but the heritage you leave behind is to be borne in our mind because embedded in tt our long cherished culture and ethos.
https://starofmysore.com/need-funds-to-raze-and-re-build-devaraja-market-lansdowne-building-mla/
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