A sub-jail in Arani town built by Marathas to be restored soon

Restore Tiruvanamalai sub-jail: Built by Maratha Jagirdar in 1825, the colonial building will be renovated at a cost of ₹20 lakh. Traditional brick and lime mortar methods will be used to fix water seepage, cracks and vegetation. 13 personnel will be employed to manage the facility, which can hold 17 prisoners.

The Maratha Jagirdar-built sub-jail inside the sprawling Sathyavijayanagaram palace on the outskirts of Arani town will be restored soon.

Based on the detailed study that was jointly done by the Department of Prisons and the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation (TNPHC), the dilapidated sub-jail will be restored at a cost of ₹20 lakh by the TNPHC.

“The colonial building has water seepage, cracks on its walls and roof and growth of thick vegetation on it. Once approved by the State government, restoration will be completed in three months,” A. Abdul Rahman, Superintendent, Central Prison (Vellore), told The Hindu.

A British architectural design with rounded columns and curved arches, the sub-jail was part of the palace. The ruined palace was built by Jagir Venkatanatha Rao Sahib in 1825. He was the descendant of Vedhaji Bhaskara Pant, a commander in Maratha ruler Shaji’s army. Shaji gave Arani and surrounding villages to Pant during his expedition to south India in 1640. Since then, the town was under the control of Maratha Jagirdars till independence.

During colonial times, freedom fighters in the erstwhile North Arcot region were lodged in the sub-jail. After independence, the facility was left to the elements. From March 1983, it had been used to lodge undertrials by the Department of Prisons. It was shut in October 2013 due to its poor condition.

Now the prison authorities have decided to restore the facility, using traditional brick and lime mortar methods. Experts from Madurai and Ramanathapuram would be roped for plastering the damaged portions like walls and roof. Growth of thick vegetation on the building would be removed.

At present, the sub-jail has five lock-ups including two large ones, measuring 250 sq.ft each. The facility can lodge at least 17 persons. Each lock-up has only a toilet and a ceiling fan. No lights and windows. As per norms, a sub-jail is manned by 13 persons including a warden, a cook and a scavenger. Remand prisoners, mostly on petty offences, were lodged in the sub-jail.