Living Heritage of Mewar: Architecture of the City Palace, Udaipur

5 Dariya News

Chandigarh , 07 Feb 2017

Before an exclusive gathering at The Taj Mahal Palace, a landmark publication titled ‘Living Heritage of Mewar: Architecture of the City Palace, Udaipur’ was released by Dr James Cuno, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, USA and Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation, Udaipur.‘Living Heritage of Mewar: Architecture of the City Palace, Udaipur’ is a presentation of a decade of painstaking efforts in continuity and conservation of this unique repository of the culture of Mewar, Rajasthan, India. In 2005 and 2007, the Getty Foundation awarded two grants to the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation to support the phased development of a comprehensive conservation plan for The City Palace in Udaipur.Said Dr Shikha Jain, the author who also led the teams of conservators in Udaipur, "The City Palace is an exemplary living cultural heritage that has survived in an unbroken line of custodianship from medieval kingship to modern democracy. Our publication traces the cultural lineage of the palace through its art and architecture to arrive at a conservation model to preserve this magnificent structure for the future.""We have traced the evolution of the palace, its sequence of inner and outer chambers and the subsequent expansions, which added Mughal and British influences to its Mewar Rajput architecture. Our objective was to outline a conservation plan that combines modern and traditional methods within the context of the history, condition and conservation needs of the City Palace of Udaipur."
Dr Deborah Marrow, Director at the Getty Foundation mentions in her foreword, “To preserve this jewel for the future as well as manage the normal wear and tear of the site’s many visitors, its stewards recognized the need for a complete conservation plan to guide maintenance of the site’s historic features. The project developed by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation aligned with the Getty Foundation’s dedication to advancing the practice of conservation through careful research and planning. Now a decade later, we are tremendously pleased with the outcome of the project, and it is rewarding to see the fruit of many years of hard work captured in this handsomely designed publication.”This book illustrated with 165 photographs and 58 drawings is an important resource for scholars, researchers, museum lovers and travel-buffs involved in studying or visiting Udaipur and other areas of erstwhile Mewar."I wish to congratulate Dr Shikha Jain for her work and the Getty Foundation for collaborating with us to accomplish this for The City Palace, Udaipur," said Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation. "The publication marks yet another milestone in our history as we collectively work to present our 'living heritage' to engage global and Indian audiences." "Since 1984, I have been building on the platforms created by my father, Maharana Bhagwat Singh Ji," Shriji added, "Our Foundation is spearheading the revitalisation of the City Palace Museum with significant partners like The Getty Foundation, USA and the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Our plans to make the Museum into a world-class institution are bearing fruit. We have indeed come a long way in our trajectory of growth through very tumultuous years.”  

About the publication

The initial section of the publication provides an overview of the exhaustive research and analysis of the palace architecture that was undertaken by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation during the preparation of its Conservation Master Plan with support of the Getty Foundation between 2005–2009, including a thorough study of art, architecture, landscape and built fabric within 57 palace spaces. As part of the process, detailed archival research of the daily palace records known as bahidas and ekantars dating back to the 18th century was undertaken, along with a study of the various paintings and murals within the city palace which dated to various phases of evolution of the structures, going back to the 18th century. The architectural spaces, styles, structural innovations, planning principles, use patterns and layers of interventions for each phase were identified based on the archives, visual analysis and through comparisons with other structures in the Mewar region. The different courtyards and their landscapes were analysed and recorded for the built open relationships within the palace.Additionally, traditional rituals, festivals and oral traditions were recorded in detail through texts, paintings and interviews.
One of the key achievements of the first phase of planning was the compilation of an accurate set of documentation drawings for the palace, based on extensive topographical surveys and photogrammetry.  The focus of this stage was on a multi-disciplinary approach to planning, with specific technical inputs from the various consultants. The conservation philosophy for the city palace, Udaipur goes beyond mere technical restoration, to encompass the social, cultural and the natural realms. It aims to conserve the built heritage in its entirety, along with its geographical and socio cultural morphology.This conservation approach thus outlines conservation policies and prioritizes conservation activities that preserve and improve the identified values of the city palace by addressing both the tangible and the intangible heritage of the site in totality which constitutes the living heritage. The concluding section of the publication offers an insight into the ongoing initiatives of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation in conservation and planning of these palace spaces and their conversion into a Living Heritage Museum of global significance.

About Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation

In 1969 Maharana Bhagwat Singh announced the formation of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation and donated large portions of his City Palace Udaipur, along with an endowment to the Foundation. The City Palace thus became a Museum open to public, sustained by fees from visitors. Maharana Bhagwat Singh built platforms for future growth by creating charitable trusts. Education, community welfare, philanthropy and heritage preservation remained focus areas. He wanted to ensure not just the continuity and perpetuity of the House of Mewar but its core principle of governance through Custodianship. The City Palace Museum, Maharana Mewar Public School and Shri Vidyadan Trust are some of the enduring institutions that continue to flourish. In the 21st century these institutions directly employ over 2000; indirectly generating employment for 5000 families of the heritage-city.‘Eternal Mewar’ was conceptualized in 2006 to provide an expression to the vision of the House of Mewar.  Eternal Mewar underlined with the words 'Custodianship Unbroken Since 734 AD' expresses, embodies and encompasses the core values, principles and legacy of the House since centuries. It covers all initiatives of the House of Mewar which as an institution is bridging a historic past with a volatile, uncertain future in the 21st century. Today, in the age of globalization, Eternal Mewar is no longer just an established heritage brand but essentially a vibrant catalyst which continues to sustain the living heritage of Mewar and the civilizational ethos of India. The City Palace at Udaipur is a rare and exemplary living cultural heritage under Eternal Mewar.


About the Authors


Dr Shikha Jain has vast experience in cultural heritage of India that ranges from steering conservation projects for various state governments to preparing conservation management plans for international organizations such as the Getty Foundation, World Monuments Fund and UNESCO. As Director, DRONAH, she has lead more than 40 conservation projects across India in last decade, including her most rigorous work on Conservation Master Plan works of the City Palace Museum at Udaipur for the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation.Vanicka Arora is an associate conservation architect with DRONAH and consultant on risk management with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). She is MSc in Conservation of Historic Buildings from the University of Bath, UK.