French team agrees in principle to restore Jagatjit Palace of Kapurthala
Chandigarh, Jan 20 (PTI) A high-level cultural team from France led by former French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vaber today agreed in principle with Punjab government to help restore the iconic Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala, a place known for its grand French heritage. The delegation which met the state Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal evinced its interest in taking up the project after Badal offered them to take up the restoration work of the early 20th century mansion. The Palace is set within a sprawling complex was designed on the lines of Fontainebleau and Palace of Versailles. One od the most iconic sites in the town of Kapurthala, an erstwhile princely state in Punjab, it allows one to revisit the extravagance and opulence of those era. Badal also asked the entire team to visit Kapurthala to have an on-the-spot assessment of the site along with top officials of the State Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department and Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board before taking up the restoration of this historic cultural site. Buoyed by the chief minister's concern for preservation of the state's cultural heritage, Vaber assured him that he would personally monitor the entire restoration project of the Jagatjit Palace after undertaking preliminary visit to the site. Badal also apprised the visiting team that he was keen on preserving cultural legacy and glorious heritage of the state, and said, places like Virasat-e-Khalsa at Sri Anandpur Sahib, the upcoming Jang-e-Azadi memorial at Kartarpur near Jalandhar and War Heroes Memorial-cum museum in Amritsar presented example of that. The chief minister told the delegation that the Palace and the Moorish mosque needed restoration from world-class architects and therefore the state wants to entrust this gigantic task to them (the delegation) as they had vast experience and expertise in the field of French architecture. Moreover, he said that it would be a humble effort on the part of state government to preserve the age-old art, architectural and cultural legacy of the Kapurthala state, which was once a finest and legendary example of ancient French architectural grandeur. Badal further sought their cooperation in the field of health and education and invited them to set up finest institutions of learning and healthcare in the upcoming Educity and Medicity in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur). Vaber also agreed to a proposal by Badal to open a exquisite showroom of furniture in Mohali or Ludhiana displaying the best modern as well as antique French furniture.
