On the foothills of the Mahendragiri hill range is Paralakhemundi, or Parlakimedi, as it was known in 1899, the year the town got its railway station. It was built under the patronage of Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayan Deo II (1863-1904), a minor royal in this part of southern Odisha, who wanted access to the Howrah-Madras mainline. The Paralakhemundi Light Railways was born: narrow gauge tracks to Naupada (now in Andhra Pradesh), 40 kilometres away. The station is still in operation, with just a few renovations to the main structure.
However, with the Indian Railways planning to modernise its infrastructure – the last was done in 2010, when the original narrow gauge was replaced with broad gauge – there is a fear that the old structures will be demolished to make place for the new.
On May 8, A.B. Tripathy, the convener of the Odisha chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a society for the preservation of the country’s built and natural inheritance, wrote to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw asking for the station’s preservation.
“The present new building coming up is on a raised platform and overshadows the existing heritage structure. The original building has a lot of historical and heritage value. It is still in a very good state and does not need much restoration work. This old station should be given a heritage tag and preserved as it is,” Mr. Tripathy said. The new station is modelled on the Gajapati Palace in Paralakhemundi.
Prior to INTACH seeking intervention, Apanna Parichha Smruti Sansad (APSS), a local cultural group, had sent several letters to the East Coast Railway zonal office and the Waltair Railway Division, demanding restoration of the old railway station. No assurance was forthcoming. Representatives of APSS claim this was the first railway track to have originated in Odisha, so it has historical significance.
Major demands
The specific demand is to conserve the original wooden ticket counter and main structure it is attached to, the goods’ shed, and the station master’s office.
“The old building of the station master, which is in a restorable condition, should be converted into a museum. This will be a major attraction for tourists and railway aficionados,” said Anil Dhir, historian and member of INTACH. He said several artefacts from the Paralakhemundi railway station are in the Nagpur Museum. These include signalling equipment, electrical equipment, scales, uniforms, insignia, German silver cutlery, and royal embellishments. He added that bridges and culverts should be preserved as heritage structures.
“The entire cost of about ₹12 lakh was borne by the king. United Kingdom-based Kerr, Stuart & Co. Ltd., a locomotive manufacturer, was roped in to lay the narrow gauge line that became operational in 1904,” said Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, a software professional by day and history reader by night.
He added that it had the capacity to withstand 20 tonnes of weight. The railway track was later extended by another 40 kilometres from Paralakhemundi to Gunupur.
Seven locomotives, all named after Hindu gods, were deployed to run bogies on the track. These are now in Chennai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Visakhapatnam (two), Vizianagaram, and Puri. The APSS wants at least two back in Paralakhemundi to be put on display.
Mr. Adhikari said the station had witnessed several historical events. “During the 1914 annual session of Utkal Sammilani, [an organisation created to solve the problems of the Oriya people], the formation of a separate Orissa province was mooted for the first time. A train was sent to Naupada to bring Utkal Sammilani members to Paralakhemundi,” he said.
At present, four pairs of trains (up and down) pass through, earning the town a revenue of ₹1.5 lakh on a daily basis.
