After the rains will come the shine: CST dome will look a century younger

Work on restoring the central dome of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus building,a UNESCO world heritage site,will start after the monsoon,Central Railway said.

Work on restoring the central dome of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) building,a UNESCO world heritage site,will start after the monsoon,Central Railway said. It will be the last stage of CSTs external conservation.

We were planning to complete the work earlier,but the weather and the height have made it difficult. We will start immediately after the monsoon, said Rajeev Tyagi,senior divisional engineer (coordination),who is handling the restoration.

The building was built in 10 years starting 1877; railway offices shifted after the dome was completed in 1888.

According to the archives of Central Railway,then known as Great Indian Peninsula Railway,it was believed to be the first masonry dome adapted for a Gothic building in Mumbai at that time. Made of lime and sandstone blocks,the dome is a marvel of construction.

But the weather over a century has told on both the building and the dome. The dome has turned black under algae growth,some crosses are missing,cracks cause water to seep inside,and erosion has affected the statue of the Lady of Progress that stands atop the dome with a flaming torch in one hand and a spoked wheel in the other.

Restoration will begin with cleaning the gaps between the stones,exposing the cavities and removing the algae. Next,the minars and the sculptures would be cleaned and given a protective coat. The missing crosses will then be restored,giving the dome its old look back.

Cleaning the dome is one of the most difficult parts. We have to erect a 40-metre scaffolding,about the height of a 10-storey building,and then start work. The scaffolding would take 40 days,cleaning the dome another 10 days, Tyagi said.

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Noted English traveller G A Mathews,writing in Diary Of An Indian Tour in 1906,called the building one of the most beautifully designed and the most elaborately ornamented railway building. He wrote,The style is Italian Gothic with certain Oriental modifications in the domes..and is certainly the finest railway station in India if not in any country.

FEATURES
* 40 ft high,lime and sandstone
* An octagonal main dome and two smaller domes; central dome has eight ribs converging to the apex.
* Gables representing engineering and commerce on the west,gables representing agriculture on the south
* Minars with crosses,sculptures of dogs and other carvings done in Porbunder stone
* Sculpture of Lady of Progress,flaming torch in one hand and a spoked wheel in other

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