LS College requests Bihar govt to conserve old astro lab included in UNESCO

|HT|

With the astronomical observatory at the LS College, Muzaffarpur now included in UNESCO list of Important Endangered Heritage Observatories of the World, the college authorities have requested the state government to conserve the old astro lab as specimen of glorious past of the state and also to preserve and promote it as a heritage structure. In a letter sent to the departments of science and technology and the art, culture and youth affairs, the college explained that the astronomical observatory has completed 100 years and should be accorded the heritage status.

They have also demanded that the science and technology department should develop the observatory and preserve it for the coming generation.

According to the college records, it was developed in 1916 after a college professor felt the need of a astro laboratory. Prof Romesh Chandra Sen was eager to have an astronomical observatory at the LS College, and in February 1914 he consulted J Mitchell, an amateur astronomer and principal of Wesleyan College, Bankura in West Bengal, seeking his guidance.

In 1915, the college acquired telescope, astronomical clock, chronograph and other equipment from England after which the astronomical observatory started functioning in 1916.

Till the 1970s, the observatory was functioning smoothly but its condition deteriorated in the 1980s and it stopped working. Later, in 1995, it was sealed when some astronomical equipment and accessories were found missing from the observatory.

The college management kept writing to the local administration and the government departments to provide help for its renovation and revival but to no avail.

However, a former associate professor of history of science at Delhi University, JN Sinha, managed to draw people’s attention towards the condition of the observatory.

“My efforts have finally yielded results. I have been trying to revive this observatory for the last 30 years and in 2018 wrote an article on it for a magazine which drew attention of the UNESCO team. Nearly 4-5 months ago, a member from UNESCO team sought my permission to use my contents on the observatory on their site,” Prof Sinha said.

A week ago, the UNESCO team member informed him that the astronomical observatory at Muzaffarpur is now on the UNESCO list and it has been uploaded on the UNESCO site, he added.

“Anyone can see this on the UNESCO website,” he said.

Dr OP Roy, principal, LS College thanked Prof Sinha for his efforts.

“His efforts helped the observatory get a place in the UNESCO list of Important Endangered Heritage Observatories of the World,” Dr Roy said.

The college management also has been requesting the government departments and local administration for renovations, he added.

“We have again requested the science and technology department to help us in its development and revival,” the principal said.

Besides, the culture department too has been requested to give it a heritage status, he said.

Sumit Kumar Singh, science and technology minister, said the department would extend all kinds of support to the LS College for development and revival of the astronomical observatory.

“There will be no problem of funds in the development works,” he said. Now that UNESCO has taken care of the set up, it has become a heritage site, he added.

“People from many parts of the country would be interested in the site. It should also be developed from a tourism point of view,” he said.

Atul Verma, former director of the state archaeology, culture department, said it was an opportunity to conserve and preserve the old astronomical observatory at Muzaffarpur.

“We have lost the observatory said to be set up somewhere at Taregana,” he said.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)