Bihar govt reviews plan to bulldoze iconic Khuda Bakhsh Library for Patna flyover after widespread criticism

After its plans of demolishing a reading room inside the iconic Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library were met with opposition, the Bihar government has said it will ensure that the Lord Curzon reading hall is not destroyed to make room for a flyover on Ashoka Road in Patna.

The additional chief secretary of the road construction department, Amrit Lal Meena, told The Indian Express that changes are being introduced to the building plan. “The BRPNNL (Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited) decided to reduce the width of the proposed overbridge for a certain distance to ensure that the Lord Curzon reading hall…is not demolished.”

The 116-year-old reading room built in 1905 is a celebrated icon of the library and has served the people of Patna and rest of Bihar for over a century. Its facade also bears the name of the library, telling the story of the creation of this iconic institution. The proposal has been a subject of protest ever since details of the the proposed elevated flyover project have come to light. A large number of buildings are set to be bulldozed for the project, which will be built from Kargil Chowk to NIT More.

The historic library was built and dedicated to the city by its founder as a “gift to Patna”. Thousands of rare books and priceless bejewelled manuscripts, including Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah, Shahnama and Baburnama, are housed in this veritable treasure trove which attracts scholars and admirers alike from around the world.

Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah is a rare manuscript and bears the handwriting of Mughal emperor Shah Jehan, which was also sent for inclusion in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Diwan-e-Hafiz had handwriting of Mughal rulers Jahangir and Humayun, according to Shayesta Bedar, the current director of the library.

In April, INTACH had appealed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to spare the demolition of the front portion of the 130-year-old Library, saying razing of any part of the institution would be a “monumental loss of heritage” for not just the city, but the world.

(With inputs from Press Trust of India)