The Dak Bungalow, built in the old township of Bhubaneswar during the colonial era, is set to be demolished to make way for the construction of a Kalyan Mandap (marriage hall).
The Prachi Division has been allocated a sum of Rs 2.60 crore and groundwork has already started, said an official on Monday.
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Built sometime in the 1850s for the convenience of British officers, it also served as a staging point for mail runners of the Imperial Mail Service.
For years, it also doubled as a makeshift courthouse for proceedings held by British officials, said researcher Anil Dhir.
It was also used by the surveyors of the Great Indian Trigonometrical Survey conducted between 1840 and 1870. Engineers from the Bengal Nagpur Railways also used the place when the railway was being laid. It is located just 500 meters from the railway line to Puri, he added.
The modest two-room bungalow was set in a thickly wooded plot with a well and two outhouses for the *Khansama* (cooks) and *Chowkidar* (night watchman). The large walled compound was dotted with trees, some fruit-bearing and others providing shade.
The Dak Bungalow was renovated during Lord Curzon’s visit in 1899; it was from here that he went to the Curzon Tower to view the famous Shaivite shrine, the Lingaraj Temple.
Old-timers recall that leopards would intrude into the campus and rest on the veranda during pre-independence days.
The British-era building has been a witness to history and has survived the vicissitudes of time.
The INTACH Odisha chapter had previously written to the government, seeking the renovation of the historic structure. It had suggested that the site would be ideal for developing a museum and an interpretation center for various artifacts from old Bhubaneswar. Such mindless destruction of heritage sites should be stopped to preserve the past for posterity, added researcher Dhir.
