Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Moti Mahal Restoration Alters Heritage Design, Project Faces Delay
Moti Mahal is a very old building in Bhopal.
It was built in 1847 during the time of the Nawabs.
The building was once a durbar hall and the home of Sikandar Begum.
It is now being repaired so it can become a museum about Bhopal’s history.
An architect says some new doors and ventilators do not look like the originals.
He says historic buildings should be restored with the same designs and materials.
The restoration agency says it is mostly following the original structure.
It also says some small changes are needed because of how the building will be used.
The 179-year-old Moti Mahal in Bhopal is being restored for conversion into a city museum.
Architect and historian H.M. Hussain says the restored doors and ventilators do not match the building’s original Nawabi-era designs.
The original doors reportedly used French-style wooden frames, Belgian glass panes and fine wooden strips.
The MP State Tourism Development Corporation says it is following the original structure but making minor changes for practical use.
The Rs 17 crore project was due for completion in January but remains unfinished eight months after its deadline.
- Who
- The MP State Tourism Development Corporation is restoring Moti Mahal; architect and historian H.M. Hussain has criticized aspects of the work.
- What
- The restoration is alleged to have changed the building’s original doors, ventilators, materials and designs, and the project is delayed.
- When
- Moti Mahal was built in 1847; the restoration was due for completion in January but remained unfinished eight months later.
- Where
- Moti Mahal is in Bhopal’s Old City, across the road from Sadar Manzil, in Madhya Pradesh.
- Why
- The building is being restored to create a City Museum with galleries showing Bhopal’s history.
Heritage Concerns
Restoration Agency’s Position
Faithfulness to the original design
Heritage Concerns
Architect and historian H.M. Hussain says the restoration is tampering with the original Nawabi-era architecture and that the materials and designs should match the historic structure.
Restoration Agency’s Position
The MP State Tourism Development Corporation says it is sticking to the original structure in both material and design as far as possible.
Changes to doors and ventilators
Heritage Concerns
Hussain says the restored doors do not reproduce the original French-style wooden frames with symmetrical Belgian glass panes, and that the original square-opening ventilators have been removed.
Restoration Agency’s Position
The restoration agency says minor changes sometimes have to be made based on how the restored building will be used as a museum.
- Building age
- 179 years
- Construction year
- 1847
- Original role
- Residence of Sikandar Begum and the first durbar hall of the Bhopal State
- Restoration agency
- MP State Tourism Development Corporation
- Project cost
- Rs 17 crore
- Planned use
- City Museum with 11 galleries across 20,000 square feet
- Status
- Restoration remained incomplete eight months after its January deadline