HISTORY AND HERITAGE: THE AFTERLIFE OF MONUMENTS

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

The Fort at Bhatinda: From a Desert Outpost to an Inner City Landmark

Illustrated lecture by Dr. Vikas Rathee who teaches History at Central University of Punjab, Ghudda (distt. Bhatinda)

Chair: Prof. Yogesh Snehi

Architecturally and strategically, the Bathinda Fort is unremarkable. However, as an ASI protected site located in the centre of the crowded Old City of Bathinda, the Fort has acquired a new kind of life of its own over the last century or so. The transition of Bathinda Fort from a symbol of governance and authority in the region to a space accessible by the citizenry and public for spiritual and leisure purposes. The presentation documents this transition and showcases the relationship that various stakeholders of the Bathinda Fort have with each other and with the site.