The 30 minutes long light and sound show voiced by actor Anupam Kher who belongs to Shimla, depicts the history of the erstwhile summer capital of British, Shimla and also the history of the Bantony Castle.
Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri (Photo: Twitter/@Agnihotridycm)
The opening of a light and sound show at the 129-year old heritage building Bantony Castle in Shimla, has added yet another attraction to the famous tourist destination.
Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri announced Bantony Castle to open for the public on Tuesday evening, with a light-and-sound show organized by Language Art and Culture department.
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The 30 minutes long light and sound show voiced by actor Anupam Kher who belongs to Shimla, depicts the history of the erstwhile summer capital of British, Shimla and also the history of the Bantony Castle.
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“Shimla’s past and present has been beautifully depicted and should be in the bucket list of all. A museum will soon be setup in the building,” said Agnihotri, adding that former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, a visionary leader had acquired the property in 2016, after great effort and struggle.
Despite the state government had lost the legal battle, however it was acquired after a lot of negotiations, he said, adding that this prime property of Shimla is now the property of Language, Art and Culture department, he added.
In the past years it has housed offices of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh government including State Police Headquarters and the annexe of the building housed Employment exchange office, said Agnihotri.
It has turned into a vibrant place that will attract locals as well as tourist, he added.
The property perched on the Bantony Hill is spread over an area of 19,436.83 sqm comprises of colonial-era buildings the main building and an annexe with Tudor architecture and sprawling lawns surrounded with deodar forests.
It was on the verge of collapsing, however after the recent facelift, it has been restored to grandeur glory.
Restoration of the building had been carried out and completed in three years under the Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded project of around Rs 26 crore.
The property spread over around 19,000 sq m, was once a summer a place of the earstwhile Maharaja of Sirmaur.
Before the property was acquired and castle built by the Maharaja of Sirmaur, the estate had only a cottage which belonged to a Britisher Captian A Gordan.
The heritage building is a two-story structure with gable roof and mini-towers is a Tudor architectural marvel.
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