Impact of Metro track on Tipu’s palace under scrutiny - ASI

With underground track of Metro rail running barely 65 metres away from the eighteenth century warrior king Tipu Sultan’s palace in Bangalore, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) is studying the impact of the project on the two-century old protected monument.

Tipu Sultan’s palace built in 1791 comprises of architecture that is dominated by woodwork including carved pillars and cusped arches. The palace situated in Kalasipalya in Bangalore, which had become the headquarters of the British administration after Tipu’s fall, attracts more than 500 visitors including foreign tourists every day.

Superintendent of Archeology S V P Halakatti said ASI had enlisted the help of Hyderabad-based National Geo-physical Research Institute (NGRI) to study the impact of vibrations caused by heavy equipment to build the underground Metro track.

NGRI would also help find whether buildings of archeological importance exist underground near Tipu’s palace. “It is not possible to excavate the area around Tipu’s palace to uncover monuments of archeological importance. Hence, NGRI would use ground-penetrating radar, which would show underground images. It is like physicians examining the body without cutting it open”, he said.

The ASI may have to seek a change in the alignment of Metro rail track if any underground structure is found near Tipu’s palace, he said. The NGRI personnel had already visited the site and a report in the regard is expected soon, Halakatti said.