SRINAGAR: The historic Toshkhana housed within the Mubarak Mandi Complex was reopened after more than 18 years for verification and assessment of its invaluable artifacts. According to a detailed report published in Daily Excelsior, this step marks a significant move towards the formal transfer of the Toshkhana’s assets from the Directorate of Hospitality and Protocol to the Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums.
The Toshkhana contains priceless ornaments and heirlooms once belonging to the Dogra rulers of Jammu and Kashmir. Although once entirely housed at Mubarak Mandi, much of the treasure was relocated to a secure strong room in the Civil Secretariat following a devastating fire on December 15, 2006, which rendered the original facility unsafe. Since then, the Toshkhana remained largely sealed, opened only briefly for preparing inventories under the supervision of the Toshkhana Organisation.
The newspaper said it had repeatedly highlighted the long delay in the formal transfer of the Toshkhana items, despite the Administrative Council’s 2022 decision (No. 115/9/2022 dated August 13) to wind up the Toshkhana Organisation. This decision was followed by Government Order No. 11-JK(H&P) dated August 30, 2022, which officially sanctioned its closure and transferred all sanctioned posts and staff to the Department of Culture.
After prolonged inaction, Deputy Commissioner Jammu Sachin Kumar Vaishya initiated the inspection process earlier this month, fixing May 16 as the date for a formal handover. This was followed by a communication from the Hospitality and Protocol Department on May 19, requesting the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums to coordinate the inspection and ensure the presence of committee members constituted for the purpose.
“Today, the Toshkhana was reopened after over 18 years and experts began inspecting the articles kept in the single lock enclosure,” sources in the Hospitality and Protocol Department told the newspaper. The inspection involves metallurgists evaluating the condition of metal artifacts, police officials analyzing the armory, and officers from the concerned departments supervising the process. The entire exercise is being videographed for documentation and transparency.
Verification of the existing inventory, previously compiled by the Toshkhana Organisation, is also underway. Once the inspection of items in the single lock enclosure is completed, attention will shift to the more secure double lock section, where valuable items made of silver and other precious metals are stored.
The final transfer to the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museums will take place after the entire inventory is assessed, following the 2022 Administrative Council directive. However, sources confirmed to Excelsior that no schedule has yet been set for the inspection of artefacts stored in the Civil Secretariat, where a majority of the royal valuables remain.
