Archaeology dept seeks to turn Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Town Hall into museum

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Maharashtra archaeology department has asked the local civic body to hand over the historic Town Hall building for a museum to display nearly 1,000 artefacts earlier housed at Soneri Mahal, officials said on Monday.

Soneri Mahal, constructed in the 17th century, was closed a couple of years ago after a structural audit of the state-protected monument.

It housed several artefacts, including medieval period guns, cannons, manuscripts, coins and archaeological remains, the archaeology department noted in a letter to the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation on May 13.

As the museum in the Soneri Mahal has been shut, the archaeology department has asked the civic body to hand over the famous Town Hall building here to set up a new facility there, as per the letter.

The museum cannot remain closed for long, as it is causing academic loss to students, the letter said.

Town Hall, one of the prominent historical buildings in the city, is said to have been constructed by the Nizamshahi general Malik Amber in the first quarter of the 17th century.