Deorhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar awaits tourists

Charanjit Singh Teja

Amritsar, July 20

The municipal corporation (MC) has opened to public the Deorhi of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Ram Bagh located opposite police station. The MC has opened the historical structure with the help of a local NGO. However, only a few tourists visit the monument as no government department makes efforts to popularise it. An NGO, City on Pedals, has deployed a representative who keeps the gates of the monument open for tourists.

Even after spending a huge sum on the restoration and conservation under the national Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), the MC has not been able to free Deorhi’s surroundings from encroachments. Heaps of garbage can be seen at the entrance of the Deorhi. Not only the MC, the Tourism Department also did not make efforts to mark the monument on its city maps.

Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, a local activist, said the historic gate was beautifully restored only a few years ago. However, the building was not being maintained properly. After investing lakhs on the restoration of the building, the government did not bother about publicising it among tourists and locals. Besides, one can see rehris parked haphazardly outside the gate, blocking the entry of visitors to the monument, he said. Rishab Mahajan from City on Pedals said, “While working on local tourism, we took the charge of Deorhi in 2022. Initially, it was closed due to Covid-19 pandemic, but now it is open. Only 10 people visit the Deorhi in a day. Efforts are required to popularise the site among visitors.”

Tourism experts claimed that there was an urgent need to create a heritage cell in the local government, which would maintain historical structures and coordinate with the Tourism Department to popularise them. The Deorhi is a part of the Ram Bagh gate, which is among the 12 most important gates in the city. The Maharaja used to pass through this gate to reach the Golden Temple.