Patna's old heritage landmarks suffer in silence amid election din

Patna: While the country waits for a new government, the nearly century-old bruised Rizwan castle in the heart of Patna pleads mutely for its restoration.

An eerie silence pervades the faded hallway that leads to the damaged grand stairway of the castle while a thick layer of dust deposited on its crumbling bannisters obscures the intricate woodwork.

From marathon public rallies to a flurry of social media posts, politicians and leaders made a litany of promises to the people, but preservation and restoration of heritage structures in the city wasn't one of them.

Rizwan, an Arabic word, means the 'keeper of the gates of Heaven', but the Scottish-style castle's appalling condition at present -- vegetation grown over its facade, garbage strewn all over its campus and a thick layer of soot deposited on its once famed ornate ceilings -- belies its famed past.

The crenellated edifice was built by barrister and freedom fighter Hasan Imam, along with an imposing water tower facing the historic Fraser Road.

Hasan Imam was elected president in a special session of the Indian National Congress in September 1918. He was also elected as a delegate to the London Conference on the Turkish Peace Treaty in 1921.

Born in 1871 in Neora village near Patna, the legal luminary, died in April 1933, leaving a rich legacy and a string of iconic buildings behind in the capital of Bihar, most of which have been lost to the onslaught of modernity and real estate pressures.

Family disputes related to this property and lack of maintenance by the state government authorities have led to severe decay of the castle that has all the ingredients to make a perfect heritage hotel or another tourist attraction.

Amid the litigation, a posse of security personnel from Home Guards and other services have been posted there for the last couple of decades to man the castle, now a shadow of its glorious past.

Rizwan's grand staircase was once the talk of the town, owing to its sheer regal charm, all but faded and forgotten now.

"That was a different era, people were different, and my grandfather built this with so much love and care. My late father, Tootoo Imam, who had also lived in that house, used to tell me so many interesting stories about it and its grandeur," his 82-year-old grandson, Bulu Imam, told PTI.

A noted environmentalist based in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh, he had once nursed a hope that Rizwan would "get its due" and be reused as a heritage property, but now the ravages of time have turned him cynical.

But, this sole Tudor-style castle of Patna, isn't the only heritage building that has been suffering for the past many years.

Some other landmarks have suffered an even worse fate -- demolition, such as the Dutch-era Patna Collectorate, British-era Gole Market and Bankipore Central Jail, and historic Anjuman Islamia Hall, among others.

Several old buildings of the historic Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) have already been fully or partially demolished as part of a redevelopment project.

The Women's Hospital of the PMCH, set up in 1925 as the Prince of Wales Medical College, the first medical college of the then Bihar and Orissa province, currently stands bruised with a large front portion of its British-era structure demolished recently.

Appeals have been issued from several quarters to at least spare the PMCH's historic Administrative Block along the banks of Ganga and the famed Patna General Hospital popularly known as 'Hathwa Ward' for posterity.

The fate of 'Sultan Palace', a palatial house built by legendary barrister Sir Sultan Ahmed in 1922, is hanging in balance as the Bihar government in 2022 announced that it will be demolished to make way for a five-star hotel, overturning its earlier decision to turn the palace into a heritage hotel, triggering a public outcry.

The district of Patna has two Lok Sabha seats -- Patna Sahib and Pataliputra -- both of which went to polls on June 1. Votes will be counted across the country on June 4.

Ahead of the counting exercise, Patna High Court lawyer Alamdar Hussain, great-grandson of Sir Sultan, only hopes that the remaining heritage landmarks of the capital city will see a better future after the election.