Akhand Chandi – The Royal palace of Chamba is dying slowly because of lack of maintenance : Chamba – Himachal Pradesh – We Are Himachali
Akhand Chandi is a commanding building occupying the largest area of the upper terrace east of the Chougan and is viewed from all roads on surrounding hills leading to Chamba town.
Akhand Chandi doubtless occupies the same site where the original Palace was erected by Raja Sahil Varman and was renovated or reconstructed many times by his successors, which changes its original architectural design. The palace later on named as pakki-chauki and then Khanchandi or Akhand Chandi.
The name Akhand Chandi was given to palace because of during Umed Singh’s dangerous visit to Lahore in 1748 AD, recitations “with-out break” of Chandi, Durga-saptasati, was performed as a prayer for Raja’s safe return from Lahore.
The palace pakki- chouki has also almost completely disappeared. The Akhand Chandi portion of the palace. which is still in existance, was built by Umed Singh (1748-64).” It is a square building of brick and wood work, enclosing a court with a clerestiry of clumsy Mughal pilaster and keel-arches, the principal room is covered with murals, of which the “battle of the Mahabharata” belongs to Umed Singh’s region, “Janmejaya’s sacrifice” to that of Raja Singh, the rest of those of Charhat Singh and Sri Singh.” (Goetz,1969,p.156) The palace was rebuilt and renovated during the rule of Sham Singh (1873-1904), zenana mahal or behra was added to its Southern side by Raja bhuri Singh.
He also constructed the pink-bungalow attached to behra, the present residence of the descendants of ruling house. In 1958, the Akhand Chandi and Zanana palace was sold to the Himachal Government by the hairs of the royal house for the purpose of starting the Government college and District Library. This beautiful heritage monument of mixed Mughal and British architecture is fast deteriorating due to lack of sufficient funds for its maintenance.
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अखंड चंडी पैलेस आज संकट से जूझ रहा है मेडिकल कॉलेज चंबा इस प्राचीन भवन को नष्ट करने को आमादा है लगभग 150 वर्ष पूर्व बने इस भव्य भवन को नष्ट करने में मेडिकल कॉलेज प्रशासन कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ रहा आलम यह है की बची-खुची धरोहर को भी तहस-नहस बेदर्दी से किया जा रहा है चंबा की शान कहे जाने वाले इस भवन को कुछ महीनों के लिए मेडिकल कॉलेज को दिया गया था लेकिन मेडिकल कॉलेज 
प्रशासन इस भवन के वास्तु स्थापत्य का महत्व को नहीं मान रहा और मनमाने ढंग से और बेतरतीब तरीके से इस भवन में निर्माण कार्य कर रहा है सवाल यह है कि जब स्कूल में मेडिकल कॉलेज का अपना भवन बन जाएगा तब तक अखंड चंडी महल संपूर्ण नाश होना चाहिए वक्त का तकाजा यह है कि इस सोए हुए शहर में कुछ बुद्धिजीवी लोग जो इस भवन की प्राचीनता और ऐतिहासिक महत्व को समझते हैं वह अखंड चंडी महल की दुर्दशा पर आहत हुए हैं हमारा मानना है कि जल्द से जल्द इस भवन को संरक्षित किया जाए और मेडिकल कॉलेज प्रशासन को हिदायत दी जाए कि 4 साल से पुराने इस प्राचीन महत्व के भवन में अनावश्यक तोड़फोड़ इसका मूल स्वरूप को किसी भी सूरत में परिवर्तित ना किया जाए नहीं तो यह भव्य भवन एक खंडहर के रूप में तब्दील हो जाएगा और आने वाली पीढ़ियां हमें कभी क्षमा नहीं करेंगे
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