February

This is the only surviving gate from the 18th century walled city of Nabha. The gate is a two-storied building, built of “Nanakshahi” bricks (hand-made, multi-hued, small thin bricks, sturdy, frost and weather-resistant) and lime mortar as an outer casing, and mud mortar in its core. The building was in a serious state of decay and needed urgent conservation intervention so as to prevent it from complete collapse.

The roofs were already fragile and collapsing; and the outer masonry along the base of the building had deteriorated to a height of approximately two meters. This project was a challenge, as it was located in a public space and impacted movement through it of the town people. The process of negotiation created a platform for a dialogue on conservation of heritage amongst the users and the project team.

Consultants: CRCI; Contractors: The Lime Centre.

Title of Project Duladhi Gate, Nabha, District Patiala Owner Government of Punjab Funding Agency The Nabha Foundation Caretakers Municipal Council of Nabha Year of Commencement 2006 Year of Completion 2007