ASI to restore ancient glory of Mehrauli
The said museum/interpretation centre is likely to be completed by the end of March 2020.
New Delhi: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is all set to restore the old glory of Mehrauli area, which has a pre-Islamic history.
Just half a mile from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Site of Qutub Minar, ASI will set up a museum/interpretation centre to celebrate the ‘Art of Delhi, Ancient and Contemporary’ at the Qila Rai Pithora.
The said museum/interpretation centre is likely to be completed by the end of March 2020. Also, beautification and illumination will be done at the premises of Phool Walon Ki Sair, Tughlaqabad Fort, and other monuments in the area.
The exhibition will present itself as an ode to the art of Delhi. The aim of the exhibition is to inform and educate the public while providing them with a critical understanding of the capital city’s art history, connecting it with its political and social history.
The exhibition may also be conceptualised including other aspects not mentioned above inadvertently, but, related to the theme of the exhibition.
It is proposed that the curated exhibition will be displayed in the totally refurbished building of Qila Rai Pithora and would consist of paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, maps, posters, books, and installations representing Delhi, Ancient and Contemporary. It may include a virtual reality lab.
“I will work to restore the glory of Mehrauli area, which has a pre-Islamic history. Mehrauli holds the treasure of Delhi’s history — from the Tomars, Chauhan dynasty to the Mughal Empire. However, this treasure trove is slowly being forgotten by its own people.
“Delhi is not only Chandni Chowk or Delhi-6; the city has much older areas within its territory with many chapters of history and Mehrauli is among those places. I will work to establish this area on the tourist map, which will generate jobs for youth,” said South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri.
Delhi has seen several cities rise and fall and unmade and remade over the millennia. It has seen emperors and rulers, imperialists, and looters. But it has risen each time, like the legendary phoenix, attracting writers, artists, poets, and the cultural literati to write its stories, to spin a web of words, to paint its glorious history, and imagine its future.