Aug 03 , 2015
News
Govt issues Rs 6m to restore Derawar Fort in Cholistan
Rains, ageing process cause damage to three bastions, two boundary walls of historic fort
APPMULTAN – The Punjab government has released a sum of six million rupees to the Archaeology Department for the restoration of damaged boundary wall and bastions of historical Derawar Fort – standing tall on the edge of Cholistan desert to the south east of Dera Nawab in district Bahawalpur.
Official sources said the damage caused by rains and ageing process to three bastions and two segments of fort's 80 feet high boundary wall that is around eight to nine feet thick was reported some time ago and government recently approved the proposal and released funds.
When asked, and archaeology official said that east-south bastion and 32 feet long portion of the wall attached to it and 19 feet portion of another segment of wall has to be restored. However, he said that exact extent of damage to the boundary wall and its three bastions would be known following his visit to the site to prepare detail report.
There has been a fort at Derawar for at least 5,000 years as part of a long chain that protected the ancient trade rout from the Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent, reads a report of the Archaeology Department. The fort was captured by the Abassi family from Raja Rawal Singh of Jaisalmir in 1733 – the time when the fort was built, says the report which suggests that the fort in preset form was built in 1733 AD or earlier.
The whole area around Derawar was once well watered by the river Ghaggar, now called the Hakra in Pakistan, and known in ancient Vedic times as the Sarasvati. The fort is more impressive from outside and supported by 39 enormous buttresses, with four on each corner, nine on three sides including West, South and North and eight on eastern side.
The fort has emerged as best place for picnic particularly after TDCP chose it to hold country's mega desert car sport event every year. Officials said that special size bricks would be got prepared for conservation of the damaged portions of the boundary wall. These bricks would be fixed with lime and red brick powder. The inner portion of the 8-9 feet wide wall would be built with sun-dried bricks.
The scheme would hopefully be completed in six months after the date of start of work, officials hoped.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk