Delhi: C
Coronation Park
Anuja Jaiswal, Sep 13, 2022: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The canopy at the India Gate complex now proudly houses the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. King George V, the emperor for whom the stretch to Viceroy’s House was named Kingsway and which now is Kartavya Path, was long ousted from that lofty perch.
His statue had been removed to Coronation Park, the site of the grand durbar where George V and his wife were crowned imperial rulers of India in 1911. Over time, the park has become the neglected graveyard of the colonial statuary of monarchs and viceroys.
Except for the statue of George V, identified as such by a marker, the others have no signage. According to old reports, the stony visages there are of viceroys Lord Hardinge, Lord Willingdon, Lord Irwin and Lord Chelmsford. One of the five statues is so badly marred as to have lost all its features.
The park complex houses the Coronation Pillar — a memorial obelisk — and the five statues mounted on pedestals. The 55-acre park was supposed to be redeveloped by 2011 as a historical tourist spot with an interpretation centre, but that plan is far from complete. In fact, an amphitheatre which was gradually coming up is now just as much a damaged relic as the statuary, its floor tiles having gone missing at several spots.
The redeveloped park was to have opened in 2011 to commemorate the centenary of the last durbar, held on December 12, 1911, to crown George V and to announce Delhi as British India’s capital. But 11 years on, the diminished majesty of George V continues to fester.
AGK Menon, former convenor, Intach Delhi chapter, said the park was to have been given a complete facelift, with extensive landscaping and restoration work. Regretting that the bureaucrats did not take any interest in funding the revamp, Menon said, “It is a symbolic spot. Its significance should be highlighted.”
“Everyone should learn why Delhi was made India’s capital, who designed the city and when this happened,” Menon said. Tourists thronging India Gate and other colonial spots should also visit a redeveloped Coronation Park, he added.
Ajay Kumar, director projects, Intach Delhi, told TOI that the art and culture organisation had carried out conservation work on the statues, but full restoration wasn’t possible without reference images and detailed research. He also said that the interpretation centre at a redeveloped park would have collected information and made it available to tourists while also helping Intach restore the icons and create correct signage. Kumar added that maintenance needed to be carried out at regular intervals.
Divay Gupta, principal director (architecture), Intach, disclosed that the plan to turn Coronation Park into a historical tourist site was prepared by his organisation, but was not implemented by Delhi Development Authority.
Efforts to contact DDA spokesperson B Patel proved futile. No other official responded to queries related to the status of Coronation Park either.
