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Baithak Khana of Gauripur royal estate losing its glory!

By Correspondent

GAURIPUR, Dec 10 - The historic Baithak Khana-cum-guest house of the zamindars of the Gauripur Royal Estate is in a dilapidated condition and immediate steps need to be taken on a priority basis to preserve the heritage guest house, which is a great example of exquisite craftsmanship.

Raja Pratap Chandra Baruah, the zamindar of Gauripur Zamindary Estate, shifted his capital to the present Gauripur town from Rangamati, 10 km from Gauripur in 1856. He built his palace, Darbar House, treasury, Mahamaya Temple, beautifully decorated Baithak khana in an area covering more than 20 bighas of land and built brick walls to encircle the area.

After his death, his adopted son Prabhat Chandra Baruah became the zamindar of the royal estate. He was the architect of Gauripur town and transformed the capital town into a modern and beautiful place for living, taking into account the model of Coochbehar, the capital of Koch King Naranarayan. Prabhat Chandra Baruah was so popular that his subjects used to call him Raja Bahadur.

During his tenure, the Baithak Khana-cum-guest house built in front of the palace was a centre for study, research and education. The guest house had 18 well-furnished rooms. Raja Prabhat Chandra Baruah invited musical troupes from Kolkata and used to arrange �jalsa� for him and his staff members� entertainment.

After his death, his second son Prakritish Chandra Baruah (Lalji) became the zamindar and looked after the affairs of the estate. After Lalji�s death, the zamindari estate as well as the family property was divided among the descendants.

The Baithak Khana belonged to Late Upen Gogoi, one of the sons-in-law of the royal family. Gogoi was somehow managing the affairs of the guest house, but due to lack of innovations, it gradually started losing its glory. Presently, the guest house is lying within the campus of the palace like an abandoned house without being looked into.

People from all sections of the society have urged the State government to take over the Baithak Khana-cum-guest house and preserve it as a heritage building without any further delay, otherwise the beautiful building will be lost forever.

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