A visit last month to the over 250-year-old palace built by France in Puducherry for its Governor-Generals, which later served as the Raj Niwas for the Union Territory’s Lieutenant Governors, was an eye-opener. The stately rooms have been stripped of the fabled furniture and artefacts accumulated by the French over two centuries, including possibly some of the treasurers looted by Governor-General Joseph Dupleix, who occupied an earlier building at the same site. The missing treasures include porcelain statues, ornate French furniture carved from Burmese teak, Belgian mirrors, antique Chinese vases, a 200-year-old grand piano and paintings, including French artist Andre Marie’s depiction of the Malaikottai rock temple.

The explanation for the absent artefacts is that the building is unsafe as the foundation is sinking and the walls are crumbling — a fact certified by IIT-Chennai and the PWD. The Raj Niwas staff, however, offer vague explanations as to where the absent pieces are presently. One clarification is that the furniture has already moved to the proposed new Raj Niwas, formerly a distillery and still incomplete. Another staffer suggests that the furniture remains in the original building, but a visit to the premises belied the claim. The........

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