Now Reading: Assam to restore flood-damaged Darika Silsakoo with ancient mortar
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Assam to restore flood-damaged Darika Silsakoo with ancient mortar
The Assam directorate of archaeology will begin restoring the 17th-century Darika Silsakoo stone bridge in Sivasagar, which was damaged by this year's floods. The conservation will use a traditional mortar recipe containing…
The Assam directorate of archaeology will begin restoring the 17th-century Darika Silsakoo stone bridge in Sivasagar, which was damaged by this year's floods. The conservation will use a traditional mortar recipe containing lime, brick surkhi, molasses, bel gum, methi, white kattha and myrobalan. Archaeologists will dismantle, document and reassemble damaged sections using the anastylosis method.
Two downstream piers lost ancient stone masonry due to scouring and turbulent water. Algae has grown on submerged parts. Immediate measures include desiltation, bamboo palisading and installation of a coffer dam. The mortar is being analysed to match the original recipe, though some synthetic materials may be needed since the structure sits in water.
The bridge was built during the reign of Swargadeo Pratap Singha (1603-41 CE). At least seven of 13 inundated heritage sites across Sivasagar and Charaideo districts will need urgent restoration, including the Piyali Phukanar Doul, Gauri Ballav Devalaya and Hara Gauri Temple, where a brick boundary wall has collapsed.
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The Darika Silsakoo was built under Swargadeo Pratap Singha, who ruled the Ahom kingdom in the early 17th century. The Ahom dynasty, which governed Assam for nearly 600 years until the British annexation in 1838, left numerous masonry and earthen structures across the Brahmaputra valley. Many of these, including maidams (burial mounds) and temples, are now under the state archaeology department's care. The floods submerged 13 protected sites for over three weeks. With the monsoon season not over, further damage is possible before restoration even begins. The government's next budget allocation for heritage conservation, expected in February, will show whether this traditional approach gets sustained funding.
Source: assamtribune.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
