Reknitting the Ripped Urban Realm by Virtue of Ontology in Architecture | Bachelors Design Thesis

Site Context

The design thesis examines the oldest and most evolved city in India: Varanasi, the city of Lord Shiva. The precinct selected as a site is the Kashi-Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. It is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva that is located in Vishwanath Gali, Varanasi, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The Kashi Vishwanath temple receives around 3,000 visitors every day.

The study analyses the Kashi-Vishwanath temple precinct, which carries great ontological and humanising attributes that lie in the evolved and densely built fabric. The success of this place lies in its existing state and pattern of construction.

“Pilgrimage” is the legacy of the Kashi-Vishwanath Precinct that evolved over a period of time and justified the theory of ontology; and “communal,” which is the centre, acts as a focal point for this diversified community that has strong usage on the site. To generate a ceremonial axis from the temple to the Ganga requires pilgrimage facilities for the end user’s journey to the temple complex.

Design Process

Kashi-Vishwanath Precinct, one of the largest gatherings of humanity, has a strong heritage, culture, and identical ethos that has evolved over a period of time. The fabric, which is densely severed and where urban environments face ever-increasing flows of human movement, an acceleration in the frequency of pilgrims, tourists, and iterative economic crises, needs a critical response. The design challenge is to respond to contradicting usage at ghats by physical and visual breakage and strengthen user experience. The design aims to adapt an approach of tactical utopianism, where temporality in design development promotes resilience.

The design thesis intervention aims to impact on four major scales: First is site level, wherein the built form is designed to address the basic needs of society and also nurture the existence of the space by better responding to urban determinants. Second, at the precinct level, better response to the historic routes of the precinct will nurture the user-activity relationship and enhance place-making.

Third, at the city level, it intends to manifest the city of Varanasi by virtue of its cultural narration and provide breathing and open space, which promotes design resilience. At the regional level, the site deals with the phenomenon of identity for its state by virtue of its cultural and societal beliefs. Thus, enhancing its regional value will boost the state’s economic flux.

Final Outcome

Banaras is a complex city that has undergone a great transformation while keeping its original character and ethos. The ontological attributes of the old city core are densely developed due to proximity and socio-economic value, while modernity was a key trigger of recent developments.

In the proposed site plan, The ceremonial axis connects the entrance to the temple, and the central axis connects the temple with the river Ganga. The built form is arranged in such a way that it creates visual and physical linkages. Due to the sun’s path, the overall massing is done in such a way that the central spine remains almost shaded throughout the day.

The ground floor plan responds to the hierarchy of open space. Wherein Court “A” and Court “B,” act as the foreground of appreciation, which was not available before. Court “A” is for the temple, and Court “B” is for the mosque. Subsequently, there is a sequential unfolding of open space that is happening in the central spine, which increases a sense of belonging.

Zone 1: Temple complex | Zone 2: Podium | Zone 3: Accommodation 

Zone 1: Temple complex

In this zone, the entrance at the temple complex provides a vehicular pathway with a free flow movement. After that, one can enter through a double-heighted volume, which opens up at a ticket counter in the frontmost section. Further administration blocks inhabit some lounges, trust offices, and donation chambers on the ground floor. The crowd of the masjid can take a specific path that leads towards the masjid, and those who want to visit the temple complex can take another defined path, which is titled the ceremonial pathway. The linear geometry of the wide pathway, along with the temporal retail shops, brings back that ontological attribute of standing in these long lanes of pilgrims. The toilet and amenity spaces are purposely located there in order to cater to the public realm that opens up to the worship centre and Prashadalay into the temple complex.

Zone 2:

Zone 2 is a podium level designed to generate an experiential journey for the user. The zone acts as a tactical space that is very flexible and can change its nature depending on the influx of users coming to the temple complex. It provides breathing space in the dense fabric. The shops inhabit a handicraft emporium that encourages local commerce. Yatri suvidha kendra, which is a response to the socio-cultural aspects of the region is also placed in Zone 2. The watch tower proliferating into the central landscape court binds the entire proposal and allows visual connectivity along the Ganga. The composition of Zone 2 tries to bring intangible ontology by virtue of food and ethnicity.

Zone 3: Accommodation

Zone 3 includes workshop places for tourists that provide activities like Banarasi sari workshops, art, and handicraft in order to promote the local art and craft of the place. The Mumukshu Bhawan/Dharamshala is provided with a set of amenities for the users who will come to cremate bodies at Manikarnika Ghat. The food court is designed at a location that entertains the users of the complex including Manikarnika Ghat. The exhibition space is provided with a double-height mezzanine entitled “Varanasi Gallery. Ganga viewing gallery at the river Ganga, provided with some retail shops that contain wood piles and all things required for the activity of cremation happening at Manikarnika Ghat.

The design starts with visual attributes and established connections with older and newer developments, creating a public realm in the ceremonial axis where activities proliferate. The segregation in terms of formal and informal activities is connected with transitional spaces, where the notion of permanence of the built environment is redefined by making it more malleable, adaptive, and flexible for future new normal attributes. Thus, the development of different characteristics of zones along with a ceremonial axis, a sacred pathway connecting the temple complex to the holy river Ganga, enhances the living experiences of pilgrims and the local community with consideration of socio-cultural aspects in the context of Varanasi, India.

Architecture should be the negotiation between needs and desires and what can be actually achieved. It should be a harmonious adaptation to contemporary life by respecting the traditional ethos and values of the place. The design approach by Netal Chandak, in her design thesis, tries to follow this principle with an indigenous formal ontology of the built environment with the reaction to global modernity and newer development in the context of Varanasi.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]