Patna/New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) On September 10, 2024, the Bihar Cabinet approved a proposal to build a five-star heritage hotel under a PPP model at the site of the iconic Sultan Palace in the heart of Patna, while preserving its over a century-old historic structure.
A top official of the state government announced this decision the same day in a media briefing following the Cabinet meeting, a move that was welcomed by heritage lovers and residents of Patna.
While not much progress has been made on this long-stalled project, first made public by the state government authorities in early 2017, and whose fruition would have made it Bihar’s first heritage hotel, a “commitee” headed by secretary of the art and culture department of the state government, then led by Nitish Kumar, was established “about five months ago” in connection with it.
However, a report published in a leading Hindi daily in Patna on April 16, days before World Heritage Day (April 18) has claimed that the panel has “found” that the Sultan Palace — built in 1922 by legendary barrister Sir Sultan Ahmed as his residence — is “not listed as a heritage building”.
The report, which has triggered outrage among heritage lovers, has also conjectured that the famed place might have to “face the wrecking ball” to make way for the five-star hotel project.
A senior official of the Bihar tourism department, which now owns the landmark building and is the lead agency of the project, when asked about the report, however, said, “We have not yet received the report of the panel, which was set up 5-6 months ago to look into its conservation and other aspects of the building.” The officials or the state tourism department have neither denied the April 16 media report, published on similar lines online in another leading Hindi daily, nor the content of the report or the composition of the panel or the purpose of setting it up, has been made available in the public domain yet.
The reported development has sparked fears among heritage lovers, many of whom have demanded that the committee’s composition, its mandate and its ‘report’ on the Sultan Palace should be “made public”.
Patna native, Md Umar Ashraf, a heritage activist, who runs two popular online portals on promoting Bihar’s heritage, alleged that the “panel was set up in a hush-hush manner and there is no transparency about its function or purpose”, and asked why didn’t the state government or the tourism department announce about it officially ever.
The reported move has also upset conservation architects, many historians and other conscientious citizens of the city, reminding them of the time in the first half of 2022, when the state government had decided to demolish the palatial building, dropping its initial plan to develop it into a heritage hotel, leading to massive public outcry and later a PIL filed in the Patna High Court in the same year to save the landmark. The court had issued a stay in September 2022, however, the PIL was later withdrawn in early 2024.
The state Cabinet then in September 2024, had reversed its previous decision, and decided to preserve it as a heritage hotel. It had also given nod to construction of two other five-star hotels in Patna by replacing the old Hotel Pataliputra Ashok near IT Office roundabout and the Bankipore Bus Stand near Gandhi Maidan.
Madhya Pradesh-based conservation architect Supriya Kumar, who has been part of projects associated with heritage properties of the erstwhile Holkar dynasty, said if the media reports suggest the reality then, “I would see any move to demolish Sultan Palace as not just a loss of built heritage and visual aesthetics, but also as a missed opportunity for a wonderful adaptive reuse of an iconic building.” “This Indo-Saracenic landmark is far more than a collection of brick and mortar or stones, it is a visual record of the city’s early 20th-century secular history, where Persian motifs and Indian craftsmanship converged to define a unique regional identity,” she told PTI, and appealed to the government to not waver from its last decision.
She cited the case study of Bhopal, where landmarks like the Jehan Numa Palace (reused as a heritage hotel) and Gauhar Mahal, saying they demonstrate how historic structures can be transformed into “thriving economic assets”.
Kumar, a native of Patna, further said an argument being supposedly made that the Sultan Palace is “not heritage” due to absence of a formal listing is a “bureaucratic technicality” that ignores its inherent cultural and architectural reality.
“Heritage value is defined by a structure’s history, craftsmanship, and its role in the city’s identity, not merely by its presence on a government ledger,” she asserted.
Many other heritage lovers and experts have pointed out the lacuna in Bihar government’s approach to its urban history, saying the demolition of the Dutch-era Patna Collectorate complex in 2022 by the state government authorities was “justified” citing it “not being listed” as a heritage.
They demanded that not only Sultan Palace, but many other remaining historic but unprotected and unlisted heritage structures in Patna and rest of Bihar, should be documented, and efforts be made to preserve them for posterity, perhaps using a public-private-partnership model.
Other unlisted historic landmarks in Patna, knocked down in the last 15 years or so include the Gole Market that built around 110 years ago, the 19th century Bankipore Central Jail (razed in 2010), and several British-era bungalows.
Ironically, a 2008 publication by the state’s art and culture department — “Patna: A Monumental History”, celebrates Sultan Palace, the heritage hospital building of PMCH, decaying Rizwan Castle, and many of the now-razed landmarks such as centuries-old Patna Collectorate and Gole Market.
A parliamentary panel recently called for preservation of British-era heritage sites which do not fall under the ambit of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), while also recommending preparation of an inventory of “non-ASI heritage structures at risk”, in coordination with state governments.
And, while the controversy has erupted after the latest reports, the website of Bihar Tourism still mentions about the plan to reuse Sultan Palace as a “heritage hotel”.
The building, currently unused, neglected and locked up, after the state’s transport department — which occupied it for several decades as ‘Parivahan Bhawan’ — was moved out to another location, post the announcement of the hotel project.
The website carries some photos of the palace too, with a description — “Sultan Palace is a historic mansion known for its intricate Islamic and colonial architectural fusion, planned to be converted into a heritage hotel”.
In early January 2025, the state government in an official statement had said that the construction of these hotels will not only boost economic activities but also create new employment opportunities.
“While ensuring state-of-the-art construction, heritage preservation will also be given top priority. The existing historic structure of Sultan Palace will be preserved, and a five-star heritage hotel will be developed on the premises,” it had said.
A section of a worried citizenry has called up an emergency meeting in Patna in the evening, coinciding with World Heritage Day, to discuss the way forward to safeguard the “famed Sultan of Patna”. PTI KND MNK MNK AMJ
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.