Patna, July 23: Climbing on top of Golghar will not be possible for the next few months as entry to the staircase has been locked by the authorities owing to ongoing restoration work on the heritage granary.

There are two staircases in Golghar - one on the east side and the other on the west side. While the one on the western side was already closed a few months ago owing to restoration work, the other staircase on eastern side was also closed this week.

Senior officials in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) looking after the restoration work claimed it would take around two months for staircases to be repaired.

"The staircases have been locked in order to avoid any mishap when visitors try to climb on top of Golghar. We are in the final stages of restoration works and we intend to complete the works in another two months," said Praveen Kumar Mishra, superintending archaeologist, ASI-Patna circle.

The state archaeological directorate, which functions under the aegis of the art, culture and youth affairs department, is the custodian of Golghar but the work for its restoration was assigned to ASI in 2011 owing to its expertise in such works.

"The ASI is doing de-plastering works at present, which is basically peeling off old plaster from the outer wall. The ASI thought it necessary to prohibit movement on the staircases as people might get hurt if debris falls on them during the de-plastering works. The staircase will be opened as soon as the restoration works get completed," said Atul Kumar Verma, director at the state archaeological directorate.

Golghar was built in 1776 under the supervision of British army captain John Garstin following the famine of 1770. The monumental structure has a foundation of 125m and height of 96ft. It has a storage capacity of 14,00,00 tonnes. Restoration work on the heritage granary was necessitated after its 3.6m-thick wall developed a vertical crack near the staircase in 2010. The granary had developed three major cracks from the gateway to the top. All the three cracks were sealed and re-plastered during the restoration works on the inner walls, which started in 2011 and got completed in 2013.

However, the restoration work on the outer wall was hit by red tape. The work was put on hold for around 10 months in 2014 and the reason for it was attributed to unavailability of required equipment. However, sources claimed that the real issue was transfer of funds. The funds transfer issue again stalled work for around nine months last year.

However, the restoration works has been expedited over the past few months. The portion of the outer walls, which have been restored till date, can be seen painted with sepia colour, the same colour with which it was painted originally. "Restoration of Golghar is a delicate work. As the structure does not have not any pillars, it requires a high level of precision and alertness. This is the reason we asked the ASI to do the restoration work. Even the ASI has roped in labourers and experts from Odisha," said Atul.

The archaeological director claimed that though the entry to the staircase has been stopped, the laser shows inside the heritage granary will continue as usual.