8-ft Tall Metal Barricade Around Sultan Bathery Destroys the Beauty of the Monument
Mangaluru: If you happen to visit the Sultan Bathery/Sultan Battery Monument in Boloor, you’ll be surprised to see 8-foot size Metal Barricade completely surrounding the monument, a decision taken to do so in order to prevent vandalism of the monument after late hours. Sultan Bathery, is one among the two centrally protected monuments, the other being the Mangaladevi Temple in Marnamikatte, Mangaluru, as per sources.
The Sultan Battery watch tower, constructed in 1784 by Tipu Sultan is in Boloor, Mangaluru. Boloor, known for the watch tower constructed in the era of the emperor Tipu Sultan such that now the area surrounding the decaying structure is its namesake. The watch tower was constructed 15 years before Tipu’s death in 1784 A.D. The place was previously known as Sultan’s Battery. Sultan Battery was built of black stones and constructed to obstruct war ships from entering the river which was the major route for English invasion but was then retrieved from English by Tipu Sultan. It was also used as a fort with mounting places for cannons to avoid Britishers to enter Mangaluru by sea.
Look of Sultan Bathery before Metal Barricading in Monsoon 2019
There is an underground storage area under the tower that was used to store gunpowder. As per historians, this underground has secret route which leads to Mysore. Unfortunately, now it is closed and locked by Indian Tourism Authorities. It was the major dockyard and arsenal of the ruler. It was a naval station and was of great importance to the sultan as he used it to intercept enemy warships and prevent them from docking. If one climbs to the top of the watch tower by stairs, there is a panoramic view of Arabian Sea shows a blend of natural and man-made beauty. It is now nearly deserted with a few shacks and a boating club nearby, but it is gathering popularity among tourists. Now, this monument is protected by central government of India and its all responsibility is on Archaeological survey of India Bengaluru Circle.
As per local residents the metal fence/barricade was put up on a stone masonry foundation post-Monsoon 2019. With the metal barricade surrounding it has destroyed the beauty of the monument. Raghu Anchan speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “We residents here are clueless about the intention behind the construction even as the already poorly maintained Bathery wears an ugly look. Except the recent metal fencing/barricading, the monument has not seen any other preservation or improvement with its walls being decorated with obscene graffiti. The entire structure was in a state of neglect with its top portion being in a bad condition. Located in a serene spot, the monument could have been made a tourist attraction with appropriate landscape, water-sports and other related activities”
It is learnt that Sultan Bathery and Mangaladevi Temple are being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and they come under ASI’s Bengaluru Circle while the Bathery’s fencing work was said to have been taken up by the Union Culture Ministry’s National Monuments Authority. About two decades ago, a contractor employed by the ASI had executed patchwork of the Bathery and painted it in stark yellow much to the dismay of heritage lovers.
As per sources, Architect Niren Jain, who is also the co-convener of INTACH, Mangaluru Chapter, had felt that the highly-understaffed authorities might have put up the fence to prevent vandalization of the monument. “However, the authorities work in isolation rather than in collaboration with the local administration, and that barricades or enclosures should appropriately be designed in sync with landscape” had said Jain.
