TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The dilapidated Goa State Museum building which poses a threat to over 10,000 ancient Goan antiques and valuable objects of multifarious significance will undergo extensive renovation on a war footing, to make it a world class museum.
“Plans are underway to have a world class building. We are already thinking of alternative space for the intervening period,” Museum Secretary Dr Jaydev Sarangi said. Sources indicated that government would tentatively shift the valuable collections to Old Secretariat.
The Museum comprising 15 galleries ~ sculptures, Christian Art, Bannerji Art Gallery, Religious Expression, Cultural Anthropology, Contemporary Art, coins, Goa’s Freedom Struggle Gallery, furniture gallery, etc was shifted to Patto on June 18, 1996; 19 years after it was established in 1977. However, the building has weakened considerably with large cracks seen on walls and the ceiling. Besides, damaged floor tiles have also become an eye-sore to visitors, especially tourists.
Sarangi asserted the government’s urgency in executing the plan and claimed the Museum will still remain one of the fascinating tourism attractions of Goa. “It is a holistic plan. The safety of the building, arts and artefacts will remain a priority,” he said responding to a question. The Museum receives 20,000-25,000 visitors annually majority of who are students and tourists.
Sources told Herald that it will take at least three months for the authorities to safely shift the several centuries old assets to a new place under strict police protection. “It is a laborious task. Each object has to be ferried with proper care. It should not go missing or stolen en route. There are small gold and silver coins several centuries old… During the shifting, we also need to ensure that these are not damaged,” said an official.
One of the most challenging tasks for the Museum authorities will be transferring a 250-year-old chariot which is on display at its premises. “It dates back to the Portuguese era. It has to be dismantled during this process and assembled again with the help of experts at the new venue,” he said.
The chariot ~ having wooden carvings on it ~ earlier belonged to Shree Chandreshwar Bhootnath at Gudi-Paroda village. It was used to ferry Lord Chandranath during festivals at the temple. The Museum authorities had taken possession of the four-wheel chariot almost 12 years back when the temple wanted to replace it with a new one.
Just recently, the Museum sought help from Mysore-based Regional Conservation Laboratory (RCL) to restore it being an important piece of history.
The Goa State Museum building has weakened considerably with large cracks seen on walls and the ceiling. Besides, damaged floor tiles have also become an eye-sore to visitors, especially tourists
