State Bank of India funds historic palace' preservation

Jangipur (West Bengal), July 12

The State Bank of India Sunday came forward for the preservation of the historic Hazarduari palace, a 19th century edifice built by the Nawabs of Bengal in Murshidabad district.

The bank's cheque of Rs.7.5 million was handed over by Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid to the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) for giving a facelift to the three-storey structure on the bank of the Bhagirathi river.

SBI officials said the amount will be utilised for improving tourist facilities, providing floodlights and measures for preservation of the Hazarduari - literally a palace with a thousand doors - which is the chief tourist attraction of the district.

Built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for the Nawab Najim Humayun Jah, a descendent of Mir Jafar, Hazarduari is a brilliant exhibition of European architectural style. The entire complex covers a sprawling 41 acres.

The palace has now been converted into a museum having an exquisite collection of arms and armour, paintings, portraits of the Nawabs, and other various works of art including ivory articles and other valuables. The armoury has 2700 arms in its collections, including swords used by Siraj-ud-Daula and his grandfather, Nawab Alivardi Khan. Fittan cars used by the Nawabs and their families are the other prime attractions.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and State Bank of India chairman O. P. Bhatt were present on the occasion.

Last updated on Jul 12^th, 2009 at 19:45 pm IST--IANS

Possibly related news:

Other News Headlines

US assures India of early access to Headley

New Delhi, March 20

Indian will have early access to David Headley to interrogate him, possibly in a pre-trial stage, for his role in the Mumbai terror attacks, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Saturday disclosing that a top official of the US' justice department had assured him of this.

Kashmir to assess water loss due to treaty with Pakistan

Jammu, March 20

The Jammu and Kashmir government will hire a private agency to assess water losses suffered by the state due to the Indus Water Treaty provisions that restrict the use of its three rivers.

Himachal's CRI resumes vaccine production

Shimla, March 20

Himachal Pradesh's Central Research Institute (CRI), whose manufacturing licence was cancelled in January 2008, has resumed production of vaccines with the central government giving it clearance, a minister said here Saturday.

Pakistan must rein in LeT: US official

New Delhi, March 20

Asserting that the US was aware of Indian concerns about the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, an official of the Obama administration Saturday said it was "very important" for Islamabad to rein in the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terrorist group that has "global ambitions" and has been targeting Americans as well.

Dropout rate falls in Jammu and Kashmir schools

Jammu, March 20

Jammu and Kashmir has seen a steady decline in the dropout rate in schools and the government is making the maximum efforts to expand quality education in the state, a minister has said.

Enter Your Name and Email below and Post your comment
Name	Email:
Comment:

Please login to use this service
Usermame :
Password :
Quick signup \| Forgot Password