GUWAHATI, JAN 3: Good news for the people of Assam as the state government acquired the historic Matiabag Hawa Mahal of the Gauripur royal family in Dhubri district to preserve it as a heritage site.
The state government has payed an amount of Rs 15.20 crore to the family members.
The royal property was handed over to the state’s depament of cultural affairs for its restoration and preservation as a museum in memory of Goalparia folk singer Pratima Pandey Barua.
On Monday(Jan 2), chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma performed the ‘Bhumi Pujan’ for the renovation of the Hawa Mahal which is scheduled to be completed by January 1, 2024.
CM Sarma said converting Hawa Mahal into a heritage monument and a museum will be an appropriate tribute to the “empress of Goalparia lok sangeet” for her extraordinary contribution to the field of art and music.
Meanwhile, the Hawa Mahal property, along with many rare photographs, oil paintings and old weapons, was acquired by the state government and it paid a cheque of Rs 15,20,82,000 to the family members.
The palace was built in 1914 by Prabhat Chandra Barua of the Gauripur royal family on a small hilltop called Matiabagh on the banks of the Gadadhar river.
Construction of the palace began in 1904 during World War I and it took 10 years to be completed.