Chhattisgarh to Build 'Riyasat Vithika' Dedicated Gallery to Preserve Royal Heritage

RAIPUR | Desk: The Chhattisgarh government has initiated an ambitious project, ‘Riyasat Vithika’, to preserve and showcase the historical legacy, royal traditions and rare cultural heritage of the state’s 14 former princely states under one roof.

The proposed gallery aims to bring together valuable artefacts, historical records and traditions associated with the erstwhile princely states. Its broad framework was presented at a consultation meeting with descendants of former royal families, with a focus on heritage conservation and promoting palace tourism.

During the meeting, officials of the Tourism and Culture Department presented a detailed action plan through a PowerPoint presentation and sought suggestions and cooperation from members of the former royal families for developing and curating the collection.

Nilu Sharma, Chairman of the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, said the erstwhile princely states had played a significant role in shaping the state's cultural, archaeological and religious identity. He added that efforts were also underway to develop historic palaces into heritage tourism circuits and homestays, opening up new opportunities for tourism in the state.

Dr S. Bharathidasan, Secretary, Tourism and Culture Department, outlined the scope of the project and said ‘Riyasat Vithika’ would systematically document and showcase royal court traditions, insignia, traditional attire, ancient weapons, historical coins, royal seals, archival records and distinctive socio-cultural practices.

The initiative seeks to bring together artefacts and historical materials currently scattered across private palace collections, family archives and regional museums on a common platform. The gallery is expected to serve as a valuable resource for researchers, students and tourists interested in the history and heritage of Chhattisgarh.

To ensure effective coordination, the department will appoint a dedicated nodal officer who will visit the residences of former royal families to document oral histories, verify historical records and identify artefacts and other materials suitable for display.

The meeting was attended by representatives of several former royal families from across the state. Those present included Dr Parivesh Mishra and Kulisha Devi from Sarangarh; Rajya Sabha MP Devendra Pratap Singh from Raigarh; Adityeshwar Sharan Singh Deo, Kumudini Devi and Vindheshwar Singh Deo from Surguja; Yogeshwar Raj Singh and Maakleshwar Singh from Kawardha; Giriraj Kishore Das from Chhuikhadan; Jitendra Narsingh Rana from Udaipur-Dharamjaigarh; Aryavrat Singh and Shatakshi Singh from Khairagarh; and Dharmendra Singh from Sakti.