Entrust Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building restoration to heritage experts: Pramoda Devi Wadiyar

Welcoming the Supreme Court order on restoring and renovating the Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building in Mysuru, Pramoda Devi Wadiyar of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru has urged the government of Karnataka to entrust the work to an organisation with proven expertise in heritage conservation.

“I urge the State Government not to entrust the work to the PWD. Instead, the responsibility should be given to a specialised organisation with proven expertise in heritage conservation — one that can not only restore and renovate the structures, but also maintain them for at least five years after completion, thereby ensuring accountability and long-term preservation,” Ms. Wadiyar said in Mysuru.

She recalled a discussion in this regard with Deputy Commissioner Lakshmikanth Reddy when he was posted as the Commissioner of Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). “I had even volunteered through the HHSNW (His Highness Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar) Foundation to restore a portion of the Devaraja Market as a demonstration project to prove that the structure could indeed be restored using traditional materials and methods originally employed in its construction,” she said.

However, her proposal was not accepted due to pending litigation, she pointed out.

While expressing happiness that litigation was pursued in the interest of preserving these two historic and culturally significant buildings for future generations, Ms. Wadiyar said the Lansdowne Building had immense commercial potential owing to its prime location while the Devaraja Market stands as ‘one of the earliest models of what we today recognise as the modern mall concept’.

The Supreme Court had recently favoured renovation and restoration of Devaraj Urs Market and Lansdowne Building, which the government of Karnataka had proposed to demolish and rebuild.

The Supreme Court’s observation followed an evaluation report submitted by IIT Roorkee on the condition of the two heritage buildings of Mysuru that are more than 130 years old. 

A team of experts from IIT Roorkee, which assessed the condition of Devaraja Market and Lansdowne Building, had submitted a report to the Supreme Court. According to the report, “Approximately 70% of the vertical elements in both the buildings, including walls and columns, fall under mild to moderate categories of distress, indicating that these components are repairable with conservation measures. In contrast, the horizontal elements, primarily roofs and slabs, show a higher degree of deterioration, with nearly 70% of these elements in moderate to severe condition, necessitating comprehensive restoration or even reconstruction.”

Based on the report submitted by IIT Roorkee, the Supreme Court directed the authorities concerned to prepare a comprehensive plan for renovation and restoration of the two buildings.