Mussoorie tourism set to get a boost as restoration work on Sir George Everest’s house nears completion! Details

Sir Everest House: The tourism in Mussoorie is set to get a boost as labourers from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh work on restoring the George Everest House to its former glory. Located at Hathi Paon, the house, also called Park House, was the home as well as workplace of Sir George Everest for more than a decade, according to a report in IE. Sir Everest was a British Geographer and a Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843, after whom the highest peak in the world was named. The physical restoration of the property is being carried out by about 45 labourers.

The property consists of the George Everest House, a Bachelor House and an observatory, the report stated, adding that four of the assistants of Sir Everest used the Bachelor House. The entire property is called the Sir George Everest Heritage Park, and is situated at an altitude of 7,000 feet. It has a beautiful panoramic view of the Himalayan mountains as well as the valley of Doon.

The restoration is a part of the ADB-funded project worth Rs 23.7 crore, and is being undertaken by the tourism department of Uttarakhand.

The restored and renovated home of Sir George Everest would also include a museum within, according to the proposal. Moreover, the property would also include newly built huts and domes for stargazing, along with an open-air theatre, as per the plans. Apart from that, there is also a proposal for the development of a selfie or viewing point as well as a trekking route, while also allowing non-commercial camping.

The museum at the property would display pictures of Sir Everest along with the trigonometry formulae that were a part of his work. Moreover, the proposal also states that the museum would have on display replicas of instruments like the compensation bar and the telescope that were used by the geographer. A laser show accompanied by a 15-minute documentary on his life and contributions would also be played, the report added.

The report quoted state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj as saying that all matters linked to Sir George Everest were significant in an international capacity because the mountain peak had been named after him. He also asserted that the plan was to restore the property, and the house, to the way it was originally.

While the restoration work had begun in January last year with the aim of being completed by June 2020, the coronavirus pandemic caused the plans to be halted in March. The work resumed at the site in July. The minister assured that the restoration work would be completed very soon, the report added.

Sir Everest had purchased the estate in 1832-33, and he converted the 600-acre property to serve as his home as well as his lab during the remainder of his tenure as the Surveyor General of India before he sought retirement and moved to England in September 1943.