ghats of varanasi on the ganga in india; the cultural landscape reclaimed

Department of Landscape ArchitectureUniversity of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA

Ghats of Varanasi on the Ganga in India

The Cultural Landscape Reclaimed

In memory of Vincent J. Bellafiore (1943-2014)

Vince was the Head of the Landscape Architecture Department from 1985 to 2000 at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. In collaboration with the U.S. National Park Service, he led the team of faculty and students in developing the conservation plan for the Buddhist site at Sarnath, India in 1988 and 1990. Taj Mahal Cultural Heritage District Development Plan: Agra, India project that he initiated with the Uttar Pradesh Tourism received the Merit Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2000. Vince’s empathetic understanding of the public culture of Indian cities, his ability to relate easily to people he met, and his appreciation of humanity he had in common with them, were very special and unique.

Contents List of IllustrationsABSTRACT................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION...................................... 3

THE BODY AND LANDSCAPE.................... 5 Mythic landscape............................ 6 Enacted landscape.......................... 8 Historic landscape........................... 14

IMAGEABLE, LEGIBLE AND PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE..................... 17 Imageablity..................................... 18 Legibility.......................................... 22 Raj ghat re-design........................... 26 Signage proposal............................ 28 Narrative surfaces........................... 30 Lighting for Dashashwamedha ghat.. 31 Vending spaces............................... 32 Assi ghat re-design.......................... 34 Dashashwamedha ghat design......... 35 Manikarnika ghat re-design............. 36 Panchganga ghat re-design............. 38 Peace gardens................................ 40 Site plan - I..................................... 42 HEALTHY AND RESILIENTLANDSCAPE............................................. 43 Hydrology and terrain...................... 44 Soil and vegitation........................... 46 Pollution and solution...................... 48 Bathing tank design......................... 50 Varuna action plan.......................... 52 Reclaiming Assi nala........................ 54 Shifting landscape on east bank....... 56 Site plan - II.................................... 59

CONCLUSION......................................... 60 PROJECT CREDITS.................................... 61

Figure 1.1 - Plan showing public spaces on the ghatsFigure 2.1 - Mythic landscape of VaranasiFigure 2.2 - Myths of the ghatsFigure 2.3 - Pilgrim movement in the sacred landscape of KashiFigure 2.4 - Cycle of festivals on the ghatsFigure 2.5 - Sensory experience on the ghatsFigure 2.6 - Haptic and Kinesethetic experiences in the streetsFigure 2.7 - Haptic and Kinesethetic experiences on the ghats Figure 2.8 - Map of important historic buildings and temples on the ghatsFigure 3.1 - Panorama: Sarveshwara ghat - Tripura Bhairavi ghatFigure 3.2 - Panorama: Lalita ghat - Ganesha ghatFigure 3.3 - Analysis of ghat’s skylineFigure 3.4 - Analysis of ghat’s facadeFigure 3.5 - Analysis of color usage on ghatsFigure 3.6 - Architectural design vocabularyFigure 3.7/A - Chet Singh Palace, 1837Figure 3.7/B - Chet Singh Palace, 2014Figure 3.8/A - Raja ghat, 2000Figure 3.8/B - Raja ghat, 2014Figure 3.9/A - Dasashwamed Ghat, 1883Figure 3.9/B - Dasashwamed Ghat, 2014Figure 3.10/A - Kedar ghat, 2000Figure 3.10/B - Kedar ghat, 2014Figure 3.11 - Visual quality of the ghatsFigure 3.12/A - Manikarnika Ghat, 1869Figure 3.12/B - Manikarnika Ghat, 2014Figure 3.13 - Viewshed analysisFigure 3.14 - Architecture vocabulary of ghatsFigure 3.15 - Movement pattern along the ghatsFigure 3.16 - Maps and apps for heritage trailsFigure 3.17 - Site Analysis of Raj ghatFigure 3.18 - Design proposal for Raj ghatFigure 3.19 - Signage proposal for directions on the ghatsFigure 3.20 - Signage proposal for information on the ghatsFigure 3.21 - Narrative surfaces on the ghatsFigure 3.22 - Lighting proposal for Dashashwamedha ghatFigure 3.23 - Vending typology on the ghatsFigure 3.24 - Design proposal for vending on the ghatsFigure 3.25 - Design proposal for performative landscape, Assi ghatFigure 3.26 - Design proposal for Dashashwamedha ghatFigure 3.27 - Site analysis of Manikarnika ghatFigure 3.28 - Design proposal for Manikarnika ghatFigure 3.29 - Site analysis of Panchganga ghatFigure 3.30 - Design proposal for Panchganga ghatFigure 3.31 - Hinduism and IslamFigure 3.32 - Proposal for peace garden at Balaji ghatFigure 3.33 - Site plan IFigure 4.1 - Analysis of site hydrologyFigure 4.2 - Analysis of terrainFigure 4.3 - Mapping of soil and vegetationFigure 4.4 - Design proposal for seasonal parks on the ghatFigure 4.5 - Analysis of sources of pollution in GangaFigure 4.6 - Design proposal for composting on the ghatsFigure 4.7 - Design typology of ghat platformsFigure 4.8 - Design proposal for bathing tanks on the ghatsFigure 4.9 - Site analysis of ground water contaminationFigure 4.10 - Varuna rivershed reclaimation planFigure 4.11 - Site analysis of Assi nalaFigure 4.12 - Design proposal for reclaiming the Assi nalaFigure 4.13 - Site analysis of east bankFigure 4.14 - Site design proposal for east bank developmentFigure 4.15 - Design proposal for memorial grove on the east bankFigure 4.16 - Site plan II

Abstract

1

The monograph summarizes the result of a site workshop in Varanasi (Jan 3-10, 2014) by faculty and students from the Departments of Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), USA, and Bhanubhen Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA), Pune, India. The landscape planning and design proposals outlined in the workshop were further developed in a semester long studio (January-May 2014) at the UIUC campus. The goals of the project are to assess the cultural heritage of the Varanasi ghats and to develop a socially and environmentally sustainable vision for their landscape conservation.

Grounded speculation from site studies on ways in which heritage appreciation can be made part of the visitor’s experience in a healthy and resilient landscape guided the process of planning and de-sign of the ghats. The entire stretch of land-water interface was considered for developing prototypical design solutions that are then adapted to the site specific constraints at a particular ghat. Imageable, legible, and performative dimensions of landscape experience were identified as significant for heritage conservation. The ghat landscape is made legible to the visitors by organizing their movement to facilitate interpretion of myths and history. The iconic charater of the ghats is enhanced by regulating the historic and traditional vernacular character of the built environment. Performative landscapes are designed for enactment of rituals, festivals, and performing arts. The health of the ghat landscape is improved by reducing point source pollution in the Ganga and creating a clean land-water interface through public sanitation programs. The landscape is made more resilient by planning for recovery from increasing frequency of flood events. Individual site designs and prototypes were further integrated into comprehen-sive site plans. Site Plan I is a blueprint for an image-able, legible and performative landscape with her-itage trails, visitor facilities, and spaces for festivals and performances. Site Plan II is a blueprint for a healthy and resilient landscape in which point source pollution in the Ganga is reduced producing a clean land-water interface that can recover from frequent flooding.

Gola Ghat

Adi Keshava Ghat

Gay Ghat

Mangala GhatPanchganga Ghat

Sankata Ghat

BhosaleRama

Scindhia GhatDattatreya GhatManikarnika Ghat

Meer Ghat

Dashashwamegh Ghat

Kedar GhatHarishchandra Ghat

Assi Ghat

2

Figure 1.1 - Plan showing public spaces on the ghats

3

Rarely has any river gathered in itself so much mean-ing and reverence as the Ganga has over three millennia in the Indian subcontinent. The land-water interface on the Ganga’s banks is fashioned out of the need to access the rising and falling water levels in the monsoon and dry seasons. The cultural land-scape of this interface—ghats (steps and landings) lined by temples and other public buildings, pavil-ions, kunds (tanks), streets and plazas—is layered and kinetic, and responsive to the river’s flow. At Varanasi, where the Ganga reverses its flow north-wards, the ghats describe a crescent sweep in a 6.8 km stretch. They date back to 14th century although they were extensively renovated and extended in the last three centuries to allow access to the holy Ganga from the temples and shrines of this ancient city. The narrow streets of old Varanasi end at the wide landings of the ghats, leading the residents, pilgrims, and tourists to the river where they worship, bathe and cremate the dead. The ghats are public commons, ritual spaces, and cremation sites. As such they represent an extraordinary cultural heritage in their history and as settings for continuing enact-ment of ancient traditions that sustain cultural mem-ories, beliefs and values.

The cultural landscape of the ghats evolved in a spatio-temporal order created from self-organized systems of worship and pilgrimage. Its structure, complex in its layering and detail and in responding to natural processes was resilient in its recovery from natural disasters as well as cultural upheavals. How-ever as the landscape becomes increasingly stressed from intensive use and ground and water pollution, its irreplaceable heritage is being lost. The dilapi-dation of the urban edge due to ill-maintenance, private encroachment, pollution in the Ganga, and increasing pressures of use caused by three million visitors every year is stretching its carrying capacity and putting heritage at risk. The shift of the river and silting of banks has impacted the riverfront land-scape causing alarm among conservationists who have been pressing since 2001 to have the riverfront and the old city nominated in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Varanasi ghats fit the categories of ‘an organically evolved landscape’ as well as ‘an asso-ciative cultural landscape’ in the cultural landscape criteria. The ghats on the Ganga have evolved over centuries into the spiritual center of Hinduism. Urban infrastructure (sanitation, solid waste management, and water supply) has been upgraded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and measures have been taken to re-duce the river pollution under the Ganga Action Plan launched by the Government of India.

However the schemes already in place need to be coordinated and on-going efforts integrated into a landscape conservation plan for reclaiming and restoring the ghats. This is a common and crucial aspect of the many programs and contributes to the broader goals of cleansing the Ganga of local pollutants through urban interventions. Individual categories for heritage assessment—built, intangible, natural and cultural—are problematic when applied to Varanasi ghats as they isolate and fragment a unitary phenomena and fail to address the complex and dynamic aspect of change. A more valid form of heritage assessment would be to study the cultural landscape that integrates natural and cultural heri-tage and sustains intangible heritage.

The transcendental view of nature in Hinduism un-derlies the elaborate structure of myths relating to Ganga, the archetypal divine river and Kashi, the supreme tirtha. The corpus of beliefs about cosmog-ony, cycle of life and death, purity and pollution, sacred and profane, are tied to reverence for nature and enacted in numerous life cycle and death rituals. The ghat landscape has evolved to support the ritual enactments and is mnemonic of mythic narratives in its built form. Thus the tangible and intangible forms of heritage are inextricably bound. Degradation of the ghat landscape, i.e. deterioration of material/tangible heritage implies loss of cultural memory. Both natural and cultural heritage are at stake as the pollution in Ganga increases.

The ghats are a thin sliver of public space between the dense city and the Ganga. There are 84 ghats on the urban edge. Their number has increased over time as ghats were subdivided into smaller sections and the natural embakment was stepped and faced in stone. The ghats were experienced first hand and visually documented in site visits by the teams. The landscape features and qualities were interpreted through site readings and mappings. The ghat land-scape consisting of 300 meters wide swathe of the land-water interface, was mapped using Google Earth, Varanasi city map, Wikimapia, and photo-graphs. This is recommended as the protected heri-tage zone. The heritage zone should be developed and managed within an eco-cultural frame work that addresses environmental pollution and urban degra-dation. Conservation becomes a tool for reclaiming public spaces and improving the quality of public life. The overarching goal of the project is to pre-serve cultural values by conserving the urban fabric that is a catalyst as well as a setting for their enact-ments.

Introduction

THE BODY AND LANDSCAPE

5

Intangible and tangible cultural heritage encompassed by the cultural landscape of the ghats is interpreted in its mythic, enacted, and historic dimensions. The three fac-ets are mutually constitutive—the landscape is read as a tapestry of mythic narratives and is at the same time a setting for their continuing enactments by the devotees thus keeping ancient traditions alive and vigorous. The land-water interface has been culturally significant for over two millennia. While the chronology of its evolution into the contemporary landscape has many gaps, the docu-mented history of the last three centuries holds a clue to understanding the ways in which its built environment was shaped in response to cultural beliefs.

The idea of the body and landscape underlies the mythic, enacted, and historic dimensions. The landscape is a sym-bol of the primeval being purusha and the great gods of Hinduism--Shiva and Vishnu. The icons and deities in the many temples and shrines on the ghats attest to their living presence on earth. Their actions in mythic time are cele-brated through ritual enactments in festivals creating the spatial-temporal order in the landscape. The landscape is always in flux, its temporality a function of the Ganga’s seasonal flow and calendar of rituals and festivals deter-mined by planetary motion. The ghats on the west bank of the Ganga are the altar to worship of the sun rising in the east every morning bringing light and life, an end to actual and metaphoric darkness. The phenomenal form of the Goddess Ganga is worshipped through an immer-sive engagement with the river.

The body in action enacts the image of the archetypal body in the narrative landscape. The body of the pilgrim and the tourist is fully immersed in the cultural landscape of the ghats. Being there is a rich, stimulating experience, a total engagement of the proximate senses. In ritual bath-ing, chanting, and offerings, the acoustic, olfactory, and tactile sensations induce an awareness of the transcendent holy in the here and now. The sense of enclosure, dark-ness, and heaviness in the narrow lanes of the old city contrasts with openness and expansiveness of the ghats. Panoramic views of the eighty four ghats as seen from the river and the east bank contrast with focused vistas on the west bank. View sheds show the skyline of temple spires, rhythm of steps, openings, and riverside platforms, mak-ing apparent the implicit visual order. Site readings in collages represent the mythic and enacted landscapes. In myths relating to cosmic creation and dissolution, actions of gods and goddesses, descent of the river, the body is central to the visual imagery. The phenomenological ex-perience of the body in the landscape is explored through mapping vision; kinesthetic experience of movement and haptic experience of spatial volume; and acoustic, tactile, olfactory experiences. The historic landscape is docu-mented in mapping the street network, buildings, temples, and their design vocabularies.

6

Figure 2.1 - Mythic landscape of Varanasi

Myths explain the sacred geography of Varanasi and the embodied practices that give it meaning and value in ways history cannot. Myths occur in absolute space and eternal time. Their enactments impart a powerful and timeless quality to the landscape. Varanasi traces its origin to Anandvana, the forest of bliss where Lord Shiva sits in a yogic posture with his eyes closed listen-ing intently to his wife Parvati playing the veena. He creates the cosmos contained in Kashi with his yogic power and her music. He strikes his trident to hold the city and place it beyond the ravages of time. He catches the sacred Ganga in his locks as she pours down from heaven as a result of sage Bhagirath’s pen-ance to revive the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. She purifies and sanctifies, washing away physical dirt and moral sins. In her phenomenal form, the Ganga invites rich visual, tactile, and haptic experiences in everyday, humdrum activities and performances that carry profound meanings. The tradition of ritual bath-ing at festivals, in the course of pilgrimage and in life cycle events, has continued through the centuries and carries great significance.

Immersion by as many as 70 million people in the Ganga on auspicious days is a grand spectacle, re-sulting from self-organized activities on a very large scale. The river and its banks are settings of perfor-mative rituals, spontaneous and choreographed. They are mimetic of archetypal acts, enacting mythic and ancestral memories, and contribute to a living heri-tage. Shiva and Parvati came down from the Hima-layas and made Varanasi their home. Shiva presides over the mahashamshan, the great cremation ground on the banks of the Ganga, where he whispers the tarak mantra into the ears of the dying bringing them moksha. In temples Shiva is worshipped in the form of a linga, the most famous one in Varanasi and its cen-ter, being jyotirlinga in Vishwanath temple, the cosmic pillar of light that connects the city with heavenly and netherworlds. There are hundreds of lingas in the city, however Omkareshvara, Vishveshvara, and Kedaresh-vara lingas in temples on the three hills supported by Shiva’s trident are greatly revered.

7

Figure 2.2 - Myths of the ghats

The west bank is visualized as the spine of the pri-mordial purusha. The Ganga is conceived as the kundalini power rising through the lotus chakras in his spine and Assi and Varana Rivers are nadi chan-nels intermingling with liquid shakti of Ganga. The highest of the six chakras where enlightenment oc-curs is equated with Varanasi. Although Shiva is the reigning deity of the city, Vishnu and Brahma have a presence too. At the beginning of time, Brahma’s austerities resulted in a brilliant shaft of light erupting from the earth and piercing the skies and the numi-nous sound OM signaling the creation of the world. Dashashwamedh Ghat is named after the sacrifice of ten horses performed by Brahma in mythic time and by the Bhara Shiva Naga kings in second century CE. The strife between Shiva and Brahma resulted in Bhairava (manifestation of Shiva) cutting of Brahma’s fifth head. However the skull adhered to Bhairava’s hand until he came to Varanasi and bathed at Kapalmochan kund to atone his sin. Both, Brahma and Vishnu acknowledge Shiva’s supremacy when

they could not fathom the beginning and end of his fiery linga. Brahma flew top to the heavens on his goose and Vishnu dived into the waters of the under-world as a boar, but to no avail. Vishnu dug a lotus pond and performed austerities there for thousands of years. Shiva and Parvati appeared and gave him a boon for living forever in Kashi. When they were bathing, Shiva’s crest jewel (mani) and Parvati’s earring (karnika) fell in the pond giving it the name Manikarnika. Close by is the ghat where the dying come to be cremated on the banks of the Ganga and have their ashes immersed in the river that flows through the three worlds. The Ganga is the mother and also a young maiden, consort of Shiva, and the crocodile is her vehicle. Ganga and Shiva, as Shiva Shakti represent the masculine and feminine archetypes. In Varanasi the threads of the myths are woven into a complex tapestry. Myth and reality blur into each other and the modern world is yet another possibility out of many simultaneous multiple exis-tences.

The meaning of Kashi as a sacred landscape rests on its image in Puranic texts as a mandala, a cos-mogram or symbol of universe, charged with pos-itive energies. Its landscape and built environment have evolved as a medium for visualization of the divine. Kashi mandala is equated with the luminosity of Shiva’s fiery linga. On the banks of the holy river Ganga, it is the domicile of Lord Shiva who is known as Avimukteshvar, one who never forsakes the city. This is the center where all journeys begin and end. It is the point of origin and of continual renewal though the body’s engagement with the landscape in the circumambulatory journeys known as yatras. In obtaining darshan in shrines and temples, bathing in the kunds, walking, performing rituals, chanting, among other activities, the sense of auspicious is enhanced. The holiness of the landscape lies in presenting wholeness through representation of the cosmos. Five circumambulatory circuits—Kashi, Varanasi, Avimukta, Antargriha, and Vishvanath—are traced in pilgrim yatras. They all begin and end with a bath at Manikarnika Ghat.

Kashi mandala articulated in panchkroshi yatra is the largest, going beyond the city limits, while the Antargrihayatra is circumambulating only around the Vishvanath Temple complex. While the Kashi and Varanasi Yatras are loops, Avimukta circuit is a spiral reaching the center, Vishvanath Temple. The three-di-mensional built version of Panchkroshi Yatra is the Panchkroshi Mandir built in the 1870s. In circum-ambulating the temple, the devotee sees numerous shrines and deities in niches in the outer wall includ-ing 104 visited during the yatra. Varanasi’s auspi-ciousness is multiplied with the residence of other tirthas of the Indian subcontinent in its territory. Char Dham, four corners of India, Jyotirlingas, the twelve lingas of light distributed throughout India, and Saptapuri, seven sacred cities, are all represented in Varanasi. The spatial transposition of sites in India’s sacred geography to Varanasi creates a complex and metonymic cultural landscape where the whole is sig-nified in its constituent parts. Pilgrim journeys to these destinations, many of them beginning at the ghats, are through a confusing maze of narrow streets that are mapped out for ease of travel.

8

Figure 2.3 - Pilgrim movement in the sacred landscape of Kashi

Festivals are celebrated throughout the year on the ghats of Varanasi. They are tied to the seasons, to key moments in the solar and lunar calendar cel-ebrating the passage of sun and the waxing and waning moon, and to the harvest cycle. The myths of Hinduism are enacted in the here and now, re-joicing in the births, marriages, and victories of gods and goddesses over demons. Cosmic time of the four yugas (epochs when the universe is destroyed and created anew) in an endless cycle is related to seasonal time in the circle, symbol of eternal time and absolute space. Myths are thus kept alive in the collective memory through traditions that are re-in-vented in keeping with the changing socio-economic times. The festive atmosphere is an uplifting experi-ence for participants and spectators alike. The land water interface is celebrated in a spectacular way during the festival of Ganga Mahotsav, revering the goddess Ganga in the Hindu month of Kartik (Oc-tober-November) when the stretch from Panchganga to Rajghat is lit up with earthen oil lamps. In the recently revived festival of Budhava Mangal, a week after the Holi festival in Phagun (March) musicians

perform on the river in decorated barges, and the ghats become a vast amphitheater. On Mahashi-varatri celebrating the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, every temple with a linga is decorated for worship and the streets are filled with marriage processions. The famous Ramalila of Banaras enacts the epic myth of the hero god Ram, his birth, marriage, ex-ile and victory over the demon Ravan in Ashvin (October) at various sites on the Ganga riverbank. Dusshera and Diwali mark the end of Ramlila co-inciding with Navratri, the nine-day festival cele-brating the goddess Durga’s slaying of the demon Mahishasur. Makar Sankranti, Holi, and Vasant Panchami are festivals dedicated to the changing season and to the harvest. The festivals of Janmash-tmi, Hanuman Jayanti, and Ganesh Chautha cel-ebrate the births of gods Krishna, Hanuman, and Ganesh respectively at various temples dedicated to the deities. Nagpanchami, festival of serpent worship and Lolarka Chath when Lolarka, the ‘trembling sun’ is worshipped, occur at ancient sacred water bodies, Nag Kuan and Lolarka Kund, close to the ghats.

9

Figure 2.4 - Cycle of festivals on the ghats

The sensual experiences on Assi Ghat, Harish Chan-dra Ghat, Dashashwamedha Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, and Panchganga Ghat are depicted in three layers showing the acoustic, olfactory, and tactile experience. Places with multiple sensual experiences are ‘hotspots’ that give visitors the strongest impres-sions of acoustic, olfactory, or tactile sensations. The size of hotspots stands for the extent of the stimula-tion, meaning the larger the hotspot is, the stronger the impression of the activity. Certain activities, such as aarti and cremation, have more than one kind of sensual stimulation and are therefore connected in this three-layer diagram. The collages capture each kind of sensual experience-- aarti and puja are stronger in acoustic stimulation while flowers, burn-ing incense, and smoke have the strongest impres-sion of olfactory sensation. Bathing in the Ganga, eating food, the presence of fire and water, and the breeze felt in flying kites are rich tactile stimulations.

10

Figure 2.5 - Sensory experience on the ghats

The Kinesthetic experience in moving from the main road to Dashashwamedh Ghat and Panchganga Ghat is depicted in a series of spatial sequences. The haptic experience in the narrow alley is that of darkness and enclosure. Details such as texture of the wall, goods on the stalls, shrines along the road, clothes hanging near windows and many others can be viscerally felt. The movement from the building interior to the ghats entails the transition from feel-ings of enclosure to expansivenes as the river comes into view.

12

Figure 2.6 - Haptic and Kinesthetic experiences in the streets

The architectonic structure of the city and its spatial volumes create haptic and kinesthetic experiences. Movement on and along the ghats is through a labyrinth of walls, people, and livestock. Stairs spi-rals their way down a single cramped shrine located below the streets. Tanks are constructed so they are also below the street. Most alleys appear as a left-over space between the buildings and give a strong sense of enclosure. An automobile cannot enter alleys close to the ghats. If the street is wide enough for motorcycles, livestock, and pedestrians, all three will probably inhabit it. The maze comes to its end at the Ganga River. The vast river starkly contrasts with the cramped streets and crowded ghats. Upon reaching the water’s edge, the sense of relief erases the memory of confusion and claustrophobia that the streets had left. The river is the destination for many Varanasi dwellers in daily life and also in death.

13

Figure 2.7 - Haptic and Kinesthetic experiences on the ghats

H18. Lalita Ghat

H17. Nepali Ghat

H16. Domraja Palace

H15. Manmandir Observatory

H14. Darbhanga Ghat

H13. Rana Mahal

H12. Digpatiya

H11. Raja Ghat

H10. Vijayanagram Ghat

H9. Karnatak State Ghat

H8. Mandakini Ghat

H7. Akhada at Niranjan Ghat

H6. Maharaja Chetsingh Fort

H5. Chetsingh Palace

H4. Janaki Ghat

H3. Tulsi Ghat

H2. Building beside Ganga Mahal

H1. Ganga Mahal

H27. Lal Ghat

H26. Panchganga Ghat

H25. Balaji Ghat

H24. Rama Ghat

H23. Ganesh Ghat

H22. Bhonsale Palace

H21. Ganga Mahal Ghat

H20. Manikarnika Ghat

H19. Jalasayi Ghat

T6. Vachharaja Ghat

H33. Excavations at Raja Ghat

H32. Teliyanala Ghat

H31. Nandeshwar Ghat

H30. Trilochan Ghat

H29. Gai Ghat

H28. Hanuman Gadi Ghat

T5. Anandmai Mandir

T2. Jagannath Temple

T16. Kedareshwar Temple

T15. Temples at Harishchandra Ghat

T13. Hanuman Temple - Hanuman Ghat

T12. Temple at Shivala Ghat

T11. Temples at Niranjan Ghat

T10. Temples in Chetsingh Fort

T9. Temple at Panchkota Ghat

T8. Temple at Nishad Ghat

T7. Jain Mandir

T25. Samrajeshwara Temple

T24. Shiva Temples at Dasashwamedha Ghat

T23. Temples at Dasashwamedha Ghat

T22. Temple at Dasashwamedha Ghat

T21. Temples at Ahaliyabai Ghat

T20. Temple at Munshi Ghat

T19. Temple at Digpatiya Ghat

T18. Temples at Raja Ghat

T17. Temple at Someshwar Ghat

T37. Vishwanath Temple

T36. Adi keshava Temple

T35. Ravidas Temple

T30. Durga Temple

T31. Temples at PanchgangaGhat

T28. Tarakeshwara Temple

T29. Ratneshwar Temple

T27. Krsna and Manikarnikavinayaka Temple

T26. Bhutnath Temple

H27. Lal Ghat


H25. Balaji Ghat

H24. Rama Ghat

H23. Ganesh Ghat




H19. Jalasayi Ghat

T6. Vachharaja Ghat




H30. Trilochan Ghat

H29. Gai Ghat


T5. Anandmai Mandir










T7. Jain Mandir












T35. Ravidas Temple

T30. Durga Temple






14

Figure 2.8 - Map of important historic buildings and temples on the ghats.

Historic Buildings - H 1 - H 33

Temples - T 1 - T 37

H27. Lal Ghat


H25. Balaji Ghat

H24. Rama Ghat

H23. Ganesh Ghat




H19. Jalasayi Ghat

T6. Vachharaja Ghat




H30. Trilochan Ghat

H29. Gai Ghat


T5. Anandmai Mandir










T7. Jain Mandir












T35. Ravidas Temple

T30. Durga Temple






15

The Hindu temples commemorate acts of cosmog-ony, sacrifices, and austerities of gods and god-desses. Often associated with a holy water body or local divinities, they celebrate the numinous power of the site. Monumental temples were in existence before the arrival of Islam in India in eleventh cen-tury—their repeated destruction resulted in the oldest surviving Hindu temples on the ghats to date only from the eighteenth century. The temples are a sig-nificant part of the historic built fabric of the ghats. Their preservation program has to take into account that they are living sites of worship and as such they are renovated and repaired as needed and as per resources of the temple trusts responsible for their maintenance.

A number of temples are built in the panchyatana style with the central shrine surrounded by four smaller shrines at four corners of a square. The shik-hara tower surmounts each shrine—the one over the central shrine dominates over others. The shikhara tower curves toward the amalaka and kalasha finial and has half-shikharas in relief superimposed over it resulting in a clustered effect. Examples include Shiva Durga Temple on Manikarnika Ghat built in 1850 and Lakshminarayan Temple near Assi Ghat built in 1902. Domed or pyramidal vaulted roofs over the mandapa in front of the sanctuary with the shikhara tower are also common as in Vishvanath Temple built in 1777 and Tarakeshvara Temple on Manikarnika Ghat built in 1792. Other regional styles are represented as in the Samrajeshvara Temple on Lalita Ghat with carved wooden panels and sloping roofs sheathed in copper built in the Nepalese style in 1843.

The historic character of the ghats is most evident in riverside palaces and temples built in the last three hundred years. Royalty and nobility from different parts of Indian subcontinent built palaces for ex-tended stay by elderly family members who wished to spend their last days in the holy city of Varanasi. The earliest surviving palaces are those built by the rulers of Rajasthan. Man Mandir was built by Raja Man Singh of Amber in 1586 CE and its rooftop houses an astronomical observatory built by another Amber king Sawai Jai Singh in 1710. At Rana Mahal Ghat, is another historic palace built in 1670 by Rana Jagat Singh of Udaipur. Eighteenth century palaces by the Maratha rulers include those built by Peshwa Baji Rao I and Raghoba Balaji in 1735, by Raghuji Bhonsale in 1795, and Indore State Palace by the Holkar queen Ahilyabai in 1778-85. Nineteenth century palaces include those built in 1830 by the Raja Dipatiya of Champaran, by Jiyajirao Sindhia, ruler of Gwalior in 1864, by the Vijayanagar ruler on Kedar Ghat in 1890, and by Rana Shamsherbaha-dur of Nepal at Gaya Ghat. Ministers of the Mara-tha kingdoms of Nagpur and Gwalior built palaces on Darbhanga and Jatar Ghats. The local rulers of Banaras also built on the Ganga—Chet Singh built a small fortress in the mid-eighteenth century and Prabhunarayan Singh constructed Ganga Mahal on Assi Ghat in 1830. Palaces continued to be built until the beginning of twentieth century—they include one on Assi Ghat by the queen Radhakunwar of Sursund and by the industrialist Baldev Prasad Birla on Tulsi Ghat. Many of the palaces are no longer in active use and can be adaptively re-used as public facilities. Together with temple spires, they contrib-ute to the iconic view of the Varanasi ghats popular worldwide.

16

Historic landscape

IMAGEABLE, LEGIBLE AND PERFORMATIVE LANDSCAPE

17

Myths are re-enacted and homage to gods and god-desses offered on a daily and episodic basis, invigo-rating memory and renewing values, in the process generating fluid space. The Ganga and its ghats become sites of spectacle and performance in a tem-poral rhythm derived from the rising and setting sun and the changing flow of the Ganga in the dry and monsoon seasons. Death and its rituals on cremation ghats offer a macabre spectacle to the voyeurs. The ghats are the iconic image of Varanasi and of Hindu India. They are highly imageable in that they can be viewed in their entirety from the Ganga. The distant and near views generate a strong mental image in the observer. The ghat panoramas have been popu-lar since the eighteenth century and have influenced a ‘way of seeing’ the cultural landscape. Their strong image, evoked from a consistent design vocabulary used in the past, is threatened by incompatible build-ing structures, visual clutter of signs and billboards, and dilapidation. Design regulations of building fa-cades and materials are prescribed to preserve their aesthetic character.

Although the ghats are richly imageable, they are not legible in that they are confusing and disorienting, especially to the first time visitor. Legibility is defined as the attribute of the landscape that allows for com-prehension of its structure, i.e. easy recognition of its parts and their organization into a coherent pattern. The ghats are envisaged as a legible and interpretive landscape by developing the following visitor facil-ities: way finding map to the ghats, heritage trails, informational and directional signage, ghat lighting, boat parking, and vending kiosks. Consolidating the dispersed vending and combining it with provision of essential goods will reduce the congestion and visu-al clutter of the ghats. The proposed heritage trails with directional and informational signage aid in way finding and understanding their spatial structure. Poorly lit areas lanes in the old city and stretches of ghats are illuminated to increase safety and encour-age movement along the river. Visual aids such as maps, logos, and narrative walls depicting myths and legends, interpret the history and mythology of the ghats, reinforcing their role as sites of cultural memory. At Manikarnika Ghat, the proposed spatial organization and screening promise privacy and dig-nity to the bereaving. Amphibian space is created at the ghats’ edge through the proposed floating docks thus augmenting performative spaces. Peace gar-dens are designed to offer the possibility of diffusing communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims.

18

Figure 3.1 - Panorama: Sarveshwara ghat - Tripura Bhairavi ghat (2005-2013)Source: Michael Aschauer

Figure 3.2 - Panorama: Lalita ghat - Ganesha ghat (2005-2013)Source: Michael Aschauer

Figure 3.3 - Analysis of ghat’s skyline

Figure 3.4 - Analysis of ghat’s facade

Figure 3.5 - Analysis of color usage on ghats

20

Figure 3.6 - Architectural design vocabulary

Figure 3.7/A - Chet Singh Palace, 1837Artist - unknownCourtesy - British Library

Figure 3.7/B - Chet Singh Palace, 2014 Figure 3.9/B - Dasashwamed Ghat, 2014

Figure 3.8/A - Raja ghat, 2000Photogapher - Stanislaw KlimekSource: Gutschow, 2006

Figure 3.10/A - Kedar ghat, 2000Photogapher - Stanislaw KlimekSource: Gutschow, 2006

Figure 3.8/B - Raja ghat, 2014 Figure 3.10/B - Kedar ghat, 2014

Figure 3.9/A - Dasashwamed Ghat, 1883Photographer - Prasad Babu JageswarCourtesy - British Library

21

Figure 3.12/B - Manikarnika Ghat, 2014

Figure 3.11 - Visual quality of the ghats

Figure 3.12/A - Manikarnika Ghat, 1869Photographer - unknownSource - http://www.oldindianphotos.in

Encountering Varanasi ghats is a sublime experience of the Ganga in all seasons and in many moods. The landscape is an assault on the senses and holds the possibility of a visionary experience. James Prin-sep engravings of the Varanasi ghats in the 1830s depict a picturesque view of the landscape that ro-manticizes decay through passage of time. These images influenced subsequent representations of the ghat skyline that is inextricably linked to the identity of the city. The visual culture of ghats is rich with a variety of architectural forms and religious iconogra-phy. Color, textures, spires, fenestration, steps, plat-forms, vegetation, boats, among other elements, are repeated at irregular intervals and form the unifying element in a very complex visual structure. The icon-ic image of the ghats is threatened with visual clutter from encroachments and billboards resulting in loss of aesthetic value, most evident at Dashashwamedh Ghat. New buildings visually incompatible with his-toric structures cause visual dissonance as seen at Kedar Ghat.

The historic fabric is deteriorating and endangered as evident at Raja Ghat and Chet Singh Ghat. Some of it is already extinct. These historic buildings are in varying degrees of disrepair, the ramification of which is a disappearing history. Making legible the past has the effect of exponentially enriching the visitor experience. This is an important rationale for preservation. Varanasi ghats are in need of a com-prehensive set of design guidelines for visual man-agement. Historic buildings must be preserved in accordance with the historic design palette of temple spires, burjes, chattris, arched doorways and win-dows, and jharokhas. The height of new buildings must not exceed that of the tallest building—Alamgir Mosque on Panchganga Ghat. Rich vibrant colors are part of ghat identity. However an excess of color adds to the visual clutter. A color palette in harmony with the prevailing colors should be prescribed for painting the public buildings and ghat steps.

Panoramic views of the ghats are obtained along the length of the Ganga Riverfront and the river itself is a magnificent view. It is difficult for visitors to see the entire stretch of the river from the ghats as they are stages for ritual activities and crowded with buildings. Sights from the Ganga are mapped with the boats as a moving viewshed and from specific locations at higher points above the ghats. Build-ing structures on the ghats become viewing points for observers. Finding spaces to frame the view will enable visitors to appreciate the magnificence of this holy landscape. Boat travel is the best way for visitors to understand the entire ghat landscape. The east bank of the Ganga with panoramic views of the river and the ghats contrasts with the liveliness of the built-up west bank.

22

Figure 3.13 - Viewshed analysis

Reading from the River: De ning an Architectural Vocabulary for the Ghats of Varanasi

Oranate Examples:

Vernacular Examples:

Beni Singh Booksellar, 1911

FLO

OD

LEV

EL E

LEVA

TIO

NS

71.25m

65m

73.9m

ELEV

ATIO

N

GHATS

80m

75m

70m

65m

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 201 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

GHATS

FLO

OD

LEV

EL E

LEVA

TIO

NS

80m

71.25m

65m

80m

75m

70m

65m

53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 6343 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 8359 84

ELEV

ATIO

N

73.9m

Leg

end: Stairs

Walls

Spires

Tree Vegetation

Octagonal Platforms

1|AAssssiii GGGhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttttttttttttttttttt 3| Reewa Ghat 44|Man Mandir Ghat

67|Pancaaggaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggggggaa GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGhhhhhhhhhhhhhatang19-20|HHanuman & Prachina Ghats

37-38|Rana Mahal & Munshiiiiiiiii GGGGGGGGGGGGhatsi GGGGGGhhhhhhhh34|Digpatiiiiiiiiiiiiaaa Ghat

7-8|Mata Anandami & Vaccharaja Ghats 33|Sarvesvara Ghat 62|Ram Ghat

-

When experiencing the ghats on foot, the proximate senses are fully engaged but the interpretation of visual elements is hindered. The visitor on a boat on the Ganga, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, has the opportunity to see the panoramic skyline of the ghats. The skyline holds significant architec-tural value with its temple spires, fort like palaces with bastions, protruding balconies, platforms, and cubicles just above water. The layering of structures adds depth and serial repletion of forms provides the unifying thread in the architectural diversity of the ghats. To identify repeating forms, walls, stairs, vegetation, platforms and prominent spires on each the 84 ghats were systematically represented in a graph format. The frequency with which each of the elements occur on the ghats is mapped. Although the elements are not spaced at regular intervals, their erratic repetition sets up a syncopated rhythm. The ghat architecture responds to the changing water levels of the Ganga. The lower floors of palaces are opaque and built solid with octagonal or circular towers to resist the thrust of the rising waters.

These are aligned with square, rectangular, octag-onal, and circular platforms built over well founda-tions that divide the steps into bays and protect them from erosion. The platforms are occasionally hol-lowed out into cubicles that house shrines. Smaller structures are also built opening into the river--these are private spaces for bathing and meditation. The upper floors of mansions are porous with windows, balconies, and galleries for views of the riverfront. The steps set up an interesting rhythm especially as they cascade down from streets and buildings locat-ed at higher levels. The riverfront becomes greener towards the north with unbuilt embankments and greater tree cover.

23

Figure 3.14 - Architecture vocabulary of ghats

400m

1

2

3

4

20min

P

P

P

P

P

P

P

4

3

2

1

P

24

Figure 3.15 - Movement pattern along the ghats

Movement is studied at three levels: from urban transportation hubs to the ghats, from adjoining neighborhoods to the ghats, and between the ghats themselves. Streets follow topography—those per-pendicular to the riverbank connect parallel streets to the ghats and drain stormwater into the Ganga. The street network shows a dendritic pattern with the major thoroughfares broad and straight, while the pedestrian lanes of the old city are narrow and winding. They are crammed with people, animals and vehicles, dark and unlit. Views and space for movement open up in the ghats, but the ghats too become crowded on festive occasions and have their own circulation problems with the boats, as there are few docking points. Walking along the ghats takes about 4-5 hours. The five destination ghats for tourists and pilgrims include Assi, Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Panchganga, and Adi Keshav. It takes 10-15 minutes to drive from one to another, de-pending on traffic, or 20 minute by boat. At peak times in the evening, vehicular movement can be even slower than walking. The ghats are about 15-40 minutes to the train station and airport, by cars

and auto-rickshaws. There are bridges that cross the Ganga, but with narrow shoulders.

The way finding map of Varanasi Ghats is designed for aiding tourists when they are walking to and along the ghats. It shows the traffic routes from the airports and railway station to the ghats and its at-tractions. It also shows the street network, walking and boat trails, and significant sites. Heritage trails proposed on six ghats: Assi Ghat, Kedar Ghat, Da-shashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Panchgan-ga Ghat, and Adi Keshava Ghat and the historic buildings and temples are marked on the detailed maps. Each ghat has its own small loop of heritage trail that connects its historic buildings and temples. Trail-heads are at entry streets from the city and boat docking points. The wayfinding map can be made available as an app for smart phone. Visitors can scan the QR code on the way finding map brochure and download the App. It has the map of Varanasi Ghats, local weather, facilities nearby, myths and legends associated with each ghat, as well as historic and sacred sites.

25

Figure 3.16 - Maps and apps for heritage trails

0M 40M 120M 240M

The Rajghat Trail connects the 83rd and 84th, ghats on the Rajghat Plateau at the confluence of the Gan-ga and Varana. The sites are of immense archae-ological and religious significance offering lessons in both history and myth. On Rajghat Plateau and further upstream along the Varana were the ear-liest settlements in the region dating back to 11th BCE. Excavations in 1940s and 1990s revealed the growth of rural hamlets at Akatha and Sarai Moha-na into an urban center by fourth century BCE in the Mauryan period.

The historic city flourished under different dynasties, its uninterrupted exitence coming to an abrupt end with Islamic invasion. The site has the remains of fort of the Hindu Gahadvala ruler, Jaichandra who was defeated by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1194-95 CE. The Gahadvala rulers worshipped at the Adikeshava Temple at the confluence of the Ganga and Varana using its ghat for bathing in the Ganga.

Their fort was never rebuilt and the city moved south-wards but the sacred significance of the site located on the Panchkroshi pilgrimage circuit did not di-minish. Adikeshava Temple was rebuilt at the end of eighteenth century and other smaller shrines contain-ing linga such as Sangameshvara (god of river con-fluence) commemorate the presence of gods.

The archaeological and sacred sites representing history and myth respectively are juxtaposed in space but their lack of physical connection precludes their reading as an integrated narrative and a historic timeline by the visitor. Ferryboats for trade used this part of the riverbank until 1887 when the bridge across the Ganga was built. Today Raj Ghat is accessed from the city through a major street and has new shrines including one to the medieval saint Ravidas above stone steps built in the 1980s. On its north a major storm water outlet from the city empties into the river and a squatter community lives close by.

26

Figure 3.17 - Site Analysis of Raj ghat

0M 20M 60M 120M

To make the sites more accessible jetties are pro-posed at Raj Ghat and Adikeshava Ghat for visitors who choose to visit the sites in boats. A cultural heri-tage trail with interpretive signage is designed linking Adikeshava Temple with the proposed Archaeolog-ical Park around the ancient ruins of Varanasi. The areas along the trail open up to expansive views of the Ganga. The heavily eroded river embankment is redesigned as green terraced ghat to stabilize the soil and encourage vegetable and flower gardens.

27

Figure 3.18 - Design proposal for Raj ghat

The proposed signage system will increase land-scape legibility by identifying ghats clearly and aiding orientation. Two kinds of signs are proposed: in-formational and directional. Informational signage covers public service, caution and educational. Tourist center, emergency aid, drinking water, hotel, restaurant and restroom, among others will be dis-played as public service signage. Examples of cau-tion signage are no smoking and no littering. Edu-cational signage covers historic buildings, temples, sacred sites, myths and legends and ritual ceremo-nies such as aarti. Directional signage will be placed on walls of the buildings and streets to show the way from the city to the ghats and the Ganga. In addition signage will illustrate the location of the ghat and its name as well as boating areas.

According to one legend the five most sacred ghats represent different body parts of Lord Vishnu: Assi is the head; Dashashwamedha is the chest; Manikarni-ka is the navel; Panchganga is the thighs; and Adike-sava is the feet. The five elements of all gross matter are sky, ether, fire, water and earth. Thus the five most sacred ghats can be identified in the following way: Assi as the sky, Dasashwamedha as ether, Man-ikarnika as fire, Panchganga as water, and Adikesha-va as earth.

28

Figure 3.19 - Signage proposal for directions on the ghats

29

Figure 3.20 - Signage proposal for information on the ghats

The urban landscape of Varanasi is replete with vi-brant folk art created by local artists. It can be found on building facades, street walls, water tower, steps, and on the boats. There are different types of art including paintings of gods and goddesses, murals, and sculptures. The themes, style, and color palette for narrative art depicting myths and legends that give identity to the ghats are modeled on urban folk art. Rest platforms, lights, and planters are proposed as narrative surfaces for local arts on Assi Ghat, Da-sashwamedh Ghat, Panchganga Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat and Adikeshav Ghat.

30

Figure 3.21 - Narrative surfaces on the ghats

Lighting of the ghats is uneven as there are hotspots that are brightly lit in an otherwise poorly lit river-front. Certain ghats are lit during the evening aarti but travel between the major ghats at night time is difficult as there is no lighting. From overly bright ghats to mysterious dark corridors of the city, the lighting system in Varanasi is very sporadic. The new lighting system works to evenly spread light along the ghats, creating a safer space that is easily accesible. The lighting proposal includes bollard lighting for the trails between the ghats, hanging lights for the narrow lanes in the old city, step lighting so people can see their way down to the river, spot lighting for the heritage buildings as well as for signage, and evacuation lighting in emergency. The levels of ghat illumination, existing and proposed, show where the light is most and least concentrated. The section cut shows signage, path, and step lighting.

31

Figure 3.22 - Lighting proposal for Dashashwamedha ghat

Path Lighting

Signage Lighting

Step Lighting

Historic Lighting

Corridor Lighting

Emergency Lighting

From overly bright Ghats to mysterious dark corridors of the city, the lighting system in Varanasi is very sporadic. The new lighting system works to evenly spread light along the Ghats, creating a safer space that is easily accessible.

Vendors selling a myriad of items ranging from col-orful silks to fruits to items used for worship, add to the chaotic atmosphere of the ghats both visually and physically. Though the vendor system may seem overwhelming and even disorienting at times to newcomers, it promises livelihood to many people. Stimulating to all of the senses, Varanasi’s commer-cial landscape offers a compelling experience. Many commercial activities move, following the flow of pedestrian traffic. Merchandise overflows from carts and tables lining the streets. Standing shops entice with colorful displays of their goods, often hanging at eye level or above. Commercial activities create a dynamic landscape laden with color, texture, odor, and sounds, adding vitality to the scene. Although vending appears very haphazard initially, closer examination reveals a hierarchical arrangement of commerce along the street system and the ghats. This hierarchy is particularly apparent at Dashash-wamedh Ghat, a popular tourist destination where many religious celebrations occur. Standing shops, often integrated into the lowest level of larger

buildings, are set back the furthest from the flow of pedestrian traffic along the streets leading into the ghat. These merchants’ locations are more or less fixed. Carts, items laid out on blankets to be packed up at the days end, and make-shift tables, all semi-fixed vendors, are a step closer to the passers-by. Mobile vendors carry their goods with them, moving easily with the changing tides of people.

32

Figure 3.23 - Vending typology on the ghats

VENDOR TOURIST ASSISTANCE

First Aid

Trail Information

Maps Available

Water

Transportation

VEN

DO

R TO

URI

ST A

SSIS

TAN

CE

Firs

t Aid

Trai

l Inf

orm

atio

n

Map

s Av

aila

ble

Wat

er

Tran

spor

tatio

n


First Aid

Trail Information

Maps Available

Water

Transportation

VENDING IN VARANASI

CODING SYSTEM TO PROVIDE TOURIST INFORMATION

GHAT FURNISHINGS IN PLACE

PROPOSEDVENDING LOCATIONS

GHAT VENDING FURNITURE AND KIOSK


First Aid

Trail Information

Maps Available

Water

Transportation

VEN

DO

R TO

URI

ST A

SSIS

TAN

CE

Firs

t Aid

Trai

l Inf

orm

atio

n

Map

s Av

aila

ble

Wat

er

Tran

spor

tatio

n

AN INTENTIONAL COMBINATION OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM

Wall-mounted folding tables Collapsible/stackable stand Garbage ring

Varanasi vendors can be given a pur-poseful space to occupy and become an asset to the tourists and pilgrims rath-er than a point of stress. By providing small interventions along unused wall space on the Ghats themselves, ven-dors are given a place to display goods near major channels of foot traffic in-

stead of clogging the narrow lanes, en-hancing their visibility in the process. A proposed coding system (left) for street vendors increases legibility and identi-fies tourism resources. This color cod-ing system would be further explained in tourist maps (below).

The vending kiosk (right) would provide tourist infor-mation and offer a storage location for the collapsible stands shown below.

All of the ghat vending furniture will be:

•Made from local materi-als like reclaimed lum-ber from boats.

• Flooding resistant.

• Secure

• Close to vending hotspots.

• Regulated by a vendor collective.

first aid

trail information

maps available

transportation

water

VENDING DETAILVending along wider lanes and on the Ghats. Narrow lane commerce limited.

0m 100m 200m

Congestion near the steps makes the narrow lanes leading to the river nearly impossible to successfully navigate and vendors selling their wares are over-looked when they form makeshift markets made from tarps and posts. The more mobile vendors should be given a space to occupy and become an asset to tourists and pilgrims of Varanasi rather than a source of stress. Through small interventions along unused wall space on the ghats themselves, vendors are given a place to display goods near major chan-nels of foot traffic instead of clogging the narrow lanes. Wall-mounted folding tables, garbage rings that hold plastic bags, and collapsible tables that can be stacked and stored at the day’s end all give merchants an opportunity to better market their mer-chandise. Vendors can use these furnishings by sign-ing up through a vendor collective, being assigned a table of their choice, and becoming responsible for the maintenance and security of the table. The furni-ture can be collapsed and locked on the ghats when vendors have finished their activities. Collapsible tables can be housed in a semi-mobile vending kiosk

that offers tourist maps and assistance to visitors. A coding system can be outlined in the tourist map to show travelers where maps, first aid, tour informa-tion, or transportation assistance available. When tourists access this information via vendors they will perceive them as a resource for their navigation through the city rather than a source of harassment.

33

Figure 3.24 - Design proposal for vending on the ghats

REST AREA & AUDIANCE

FLOATING BIRDGE & STAGE

AARTI PERFORMENCE

RITUAL AREA

GREEN SPACE

SILT AREA

BOAT DOCKING

GANGA RIVER

STEP & PLATFORM

BUILDING

Silt Area 120 ft.

DRY SEASON SECTION

DRY SEASON PROPOSED SECTION MONSOON SEASON PROPOSED SECTION

DRY SEASON PROPOSED PLAN MONSOON SEASON PROPOSED PLAN

MONSOON SEASON SECTION

WATER LEVEL DIFERANCE 16FT.

AARTI PERFORMANCE EVERY NIGHT

WORSHIP OF LINGA UNDER TREEHOLY BATHING WORSHIP IN MONSOON SEASON BOAT DOCKING & LARGE SILT AREA

Silt Area 120 ft.

WATER LEVEL DIFFERENCE 16FT.

ASSI GHAT

Assi Ghat is one of the most popular ghats with easy access from the city. It received the patronage of Marathas in the 18th-19th c. The Jagannath Tem-ple on the ghat is the replica of Jagannath Temple in Puri. Below at the footsteps is the linga of Kun-dodareshvara Shiva under a Pipal Tree. In the after-math of Assi Nala being diverted a kilometer to the south in 1980, the Ganga flow has receded from Assi Ghat, leaving a large exposed silt area. Located in the south end of the ghat stretch, it has relatively large open space with potential to be developed. However, the site is covered by large expanses of silt extending up to 120 feet from the steps. As a result, most activities occur on the unstable and uncomfort-able silt-bed. Besides, the space between buildings and steps is not large enough for rituals. Seasonal flooding increases the water level resulting in lack of public space. The main activities include bathing in the holy Ganga River, worship of linga under the tree and in the temple, boat landing, praying and meditation, and the traditional aarti ceremony every evening.

Strategies for creating amphibious space including: redesigning the ghats, inserting a floating stage for daily performance, and linear floating piers connect-ing the steps and water edge. The main objective is to enlarge the performance space and provide boat docking. The platform size around the temple and sacred tree is extended. Curvilinear shapes replace the original acute angle of the steps, thus prevent-ing further silt deposit. A floating stage on the hard revetments wall extends the stage area for the aarti performance. In the dry season the stage is support-ed by the wall, while during the monsoon season, it floats up with the water level.

34

Figure 3.25 - Design proposal for performative landscape, Assi ghat

The floating dock consists of plywood 10’ x 10’ plat-forms supported by styrofoam buoyancy billets. For it to be stable for six people on board, the floatation capacity needs to be at minimum of 1300 lbs. For example the 10’ x 10’ platform would weigh 400 lbs (100 x 4 lbs per sq. ft) and 6 people at 150 lbs each equals 900 lbs. Therefore floatation required is 1300 lbs (900 + 400). With the use of only four (7” x 20” x 8’) billets (425 lbs each equals 1700 lbs floatation), the platform can at minimum bear six or more people on board without capsizing. Also it can be combined and adjusted to create more spaces. As more platforms are added, boat parking will also increase.

The linear floating bridges, supported by two extra revetments walls, connect the steps and water edge, on which people are able to walk on both dry and monsoon seasons. On the west side of bridges, there are several tall octagonal terraces for various activi-ties during the dry season and connect the bridges to the platform when steps are under water in the mon-soons. Dycel concrete revetments reinforce the em-bankment and prevent silt from accumulating on the ghats. The boats will park along the concrete revet-ment in the dry season and berth beside the floating bridges during the monsoon, thus adding space for the large crowds that gather to watch the aarti cere-mony in the evenings.

35

Figure 3.26 - Design proposal for performative landscape, Dashashwamedha ghat

1

2

3

Histrorical photos are from www.oldindianphotos.in/.

Manikarnika Ghat is the most popular site of crema-tion where the funeral pyres are never extinguished with about 28,000 bodies burnt every year. Cre-mation can be interpreted as the symbolic sacrifice essential for regenerating the cosmos—the ghat is therefore the site of recurring dissolution and recre-ation of the universe. It is associated with both Shiva and Vishnu, eternally present at the site that is abso-lute space and where time stands still. Here moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirths is promised and the Ganga washes away the pollution of death. Cir-cumambulation of Varanasi, the Panchkroshi Yatra, begins with a bath at Manikarnika Ghat.

The ghat is mentioned in a 5th c. Gupta inscription, rebuilt in 1302 CE and renovated by the Marathas in 1735 CE and 1872 CE. The Holkar queen Ahilyabai in 1795 CE built Tarakeshvara Temple where Shiva is worshipped as Tarakeshvar, one who whispers the Taraka Mantra in the ear of the dying. Early photo-graphs of the ghats in 1922 and 1947 show crema-tion occurring on tiers of the embakments. Today the process of cremation is haphazard and spilling on to the floodplain. Stacks of wood in the narrow lanes interfere with the mourning processions, and crowds of voyuristic tourists in boats gape at the spectacle of death. The redesign of Manikarnika Ghat organizes space by introducing 21 new cremation platforms in front of Bhuthnath Temple with circulation spaces for mourners. A separate loading zone for wood trans-ported by boats is demarcated and movable screens for privacy are proposed.

36

Figure 3.27 - Site analysis of Manikarnika ghat

CBA

A

B

C

CBA

A

B

C

CBA

A

B

C

CBA

A

B

C

CBA

A

B

C

37

Figure 3.28 - Design proposal for Manikarnika ghat

This ghat marks the confluence of five rivers—Gan-ga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kirana, and Dhutpapa and has been popular among the faithful since the 11th-12th Gahadvala period. The great Bindu Madhav Temple, described by Tavernier in 1665 CE, was an awe-inspiring structure, built by Man Singh, ruler of Amber in 1585 CE. It was demolished by the Mu-ghal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1673 CE and the im-posing Alamgir Mosque built at the site. The Vishnu deity was housed in small house nearby that came to be known as Bindu Madhav Temple. The Maratha Peshwas repaired the ghat in 1735 CE, first con-structed in 1580 CE. Panchganga Ghat is associated with the Ramananda, the teacher of Vedanta, Kabir, the bhakti poet and the great author Tulsidas wrote his book Vinaya Patrika on this ghat. In October-No-vember every year during the Hindu Karttik month, devotees bathe in the Ganga here in large numbers, as this is an auspicious time. The ghat is lit up with tall bamboo poles with lamps to commemorate an-cestors.

38

Figure 3.29 - Site analysis of Panchganga ghat

The viewsheds to and from the Ganga are striking with domes of the mosque and steep flight of stairs adding to the picturesque effect. The Panchganga Ghat is difficult to access from the city as the streets leading to it are narrow and labyrinthine plus there are encroachments on public space and signs are lacking. Public space on the ghat too is inadequate especially in the evenings when the aarti to the Gan-ga is performed. In the redesign proposal performa-tive space is added by linking the platforms extend-ing into the Ganga. The plaza at the higher level between the mosque and the temple overlooking the ghats is redesigned as a peace plaza to bring the Hindu and Muslim communities together. Signage and lighting enhance the legible quality of the public space.

39

Figure 3.30 - Design proposal for Panchganga ghat

Communal ViolenceTime: Nov. 8, 1991

Death: 15-50 Rioting began on Election

Day when the Hindus allegedly prevented the

Muslims from voting.

BombingTime: Mar. 7, 2006

Death: 28Injured: 101

The blast started at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman

Temple. Hundreds of pilgrims were in temple

as it was a holy day devoted to Hanuman.

WeavingOther

MuslimsHindus

Place of Worship

Use of Statues and Pictures

Not permitted todepict the imageof God nor any prophet.

Image as both embodiment of gods and gods

themselves

Concept of Deity

Monism, Kathenotheism, Monotheism

God (Allah) is the only god and is all-powerful and omniscient.

Views on the Afterlife

A constant cycle of reincarnation

until moksha is attained.

Eternal life in paradise or hell.

View on Other Religions

Belief vary. Some say the path they describe is the

only path to God and salvation. Some believe

that all spiritual paths lead to the same God.

All other religions are false, but muslims should not disrespect them.

Mosque Temple

800 BC ………… 320 CE 900 CE 1193 CE 1658 CE 1767 CE ……

Construction ofGupta temple

Islam cameto India

The Muslim armies of Qutb-ud-din Aibak

destroyed almost 1000 Hindu temples.

Including Temple of Adi Keshava, the temple of Konarak,and Vishwanath Temple

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s reign Demolition of Shri

Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kedara temple

Reign of Queen Ahalyabai Holkar, who patronized numerous Hindu temples

Settment in Varanasi

Varanasi periodically witnesses communal violence between Hindus and Muslims. Public spaces are potential sites of conflict and terrorist activities. Al-though Islam and Hinduism are antithetical in many respects, yet inter-faith dialogue can bring out the common ground and universal message of both reli-gions. In our proposal the ghats are conceptualized as spaces of negotiation and reconciliation. Peace garden is proposed as a design prototype for en-couraging communication and promoting activities that lead to greater understanding of shared human-ity beyond religious differences.

Between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries the temples of Varanasi were destroyed at least four times but the remarkable resiliency of the sacred sites is attested in rebuilding of temples. The history of repeated destruction of temples and building of mosques at the sacred sites of Hinduism can be read in the cultural landscape of Varanasi even today. Although it may be difficult to overlook reminders of

the past, this history should be put into perspective and read as chronicle of not just conquest and de-struction but also harbinger of the hybrid Indo-Islam-ic culture in music, arts, cuisine, and myriad eco-nomic transactions.

In spite of occasional conflicts, residents of Vara-nasi with different religious backgrounds share an easygoing life style, marked by bonhomie. Although a minority forming about a quarter of the popula-tion, Muslims plays an important role in the urban economy. Weaving is one of the largest industries in Varanasi, and about 70% of weavers are Muslims.At Balaji Ghat, the historic palace with the Balaji Tem-ple built by the Peshwas in 1735 CE is now being renovated for public use. It is adjacent to the Alamgir Mosque built on a site dedicated to Bindu Madhav Temple first built in the eleventh century and then again in the sixteenth century, finally demolished a century later.

40

Figure 3.31 - Hinduism and Islam

This juxtaposition of Hindu and Muslim religious sites is as an ever-present reminder of the diversity and pluralism of Varanasi. Balaji Palace has an open terrace offering a panoramic view of Ganga where a public plaza/garden is proposed. The peace gar-den uses traditional Indian weaving patterns, heri-tage common to all living in Varanasi. The garden design does not use religious symbols —it is simply a community space that brings people together for interfaith dialogue and shared meals on Hindu and Muslim festivals. The prototypical peace garden can be inserted at several sites along the riverbank where communal violence has occurred in the past such as Gola Ghat, Kedar Ghat, and Assi Ghat.

41

Figure 3.32 - Proposal for peace garden at Balaji ghat

Festival Community Feast Interfaith Dialogue Viewing

42

Figure 3.33 - Site plan I

HEALTHY AND RESILIENT LANDSCAPE

43

The physiography of the Ganga’s banks is mapped in site hydrology--Ganga and Varana flow in sum-mer and monsoon, flood and drought conditions, in-land water bodies; terrain of ridge, hills, floodplain; and soils and vegetation. Ganga, the archetypal river of purity washing away physical dirt and moral sins, is now polluted because of the large amount of waste generated at the ghats and by the city. Ritual worship and bathing, cremation, and sewage cause the Ganga water to be contaminated and a health hazard. The ghats in Varanasi are envisaged as a healthy landscape by reducing point source pollution in the Ganga and creating a clean land-water inter-face through public sanitation programs and design prototypes such as non-polluting bathing tanks, com-post gardens, biofiltration basins, and ghat recycling center. Natural cleansing systems, such as wetlands and phytoremediation treat wastewater and increase biodiversity. Local composting and recycling are pro-posed to reduce the biodegradable waste. Bathing tanks are designed with bio-filtration basins for de-creasing contaminants in the water, thus promoting the health of the river and of those who engage with it. Dumping sites near the ghats are reclaimed as waste management facility in a landscape of marshy lagoons for phytoremediation. The urban sanitation and composting programs should aim to limit river BOD (biological oxygen demand) to a safe level by 2030. Education through the use of on-site murals and other media to promote proper waste disposal and recycling will positively engage the community in ensuring a clean environment.

The Ganga is flooding more often because of de-forestation upstream and constriction in its flow locally caused by silt deposition on the east bank. Frequent flooding negatively impacts the ghats and the city above them. Their resiliency, i.e. their ability to recover rapidly from disaster and prepare for as well as prevent future catastrophes from recurring, is increased through site planning and design. By reclaiming inland water bodies, and restoring Va-rana River and Assi Nala watersheds as greenways, resiliency of the urban landscape to cope with flood events is improved. In this ecological approach, on the northern stretch of ghats, planted edges and constructed wetlands are recommended. The width of the river is increased by silt removal thus allow-ing the rising waters to spread on the east bank. This shifting fluvial landscape is reclaimed as public space that can be used intensively in the dry season for recreational activities thus alleviating the stress on the ghats. Building wetlands that act as biofiltration basins and planting memorial groves that recycle cremation ashes as fertilizer in sediment fills in up-land areas stabilizes the landscape.

The Ganga meanders through the Indo-Gangetic plains of Northern India leaving traces of erosion and deposition of sediment transported by the riv-er. The holy city of Varanasi and its majestic ghats on the western bank sit on the erosion edge while the east bank is the deposition edge. On the highly constructed west bank there is visibly less erosion. The water level of Ganga fluctuates through the year affecting the ghats; however the normal water level is 65.37 meters, allowing the various rituals and other activities to occur. In drought the water level is around 60 meters above the mean sea level that results in exposing the silt bed. Due to climate change the frequency of flooding is increasing, oc-curring now at every five years interval. The high-est level of flood recorded as 73.90 meters is well above the 71.26 meters considered to be the danger level completely submerging the ghats. The 100 year flood will cover all parts of the ghats, including tem-ples and historic buildings.

The flooding and silting is a threat to the cultural landscape and design intervention should take into account the flooding cycle as well as the process of erosion and deposition. The mild slope of the east bank is continuously covered with layers of silt depo-sition every year. With deforestation in the Himalayan foothills, sediment loads in the Ganga are increas-ing. The sand bed formed in the flood plain expands laterally and increases in height with the downstream flow, the maximum elevation being Prahlad Ghat. In the absence of sand mining on the east bank the width of the river is constantly decreasing. Due to this decrease there is constant pressure on the built edge that may result in collapse of the Ghats in future.

44

Figure 4.1 - Analysis of site hydrology

91M

96M

98M

65M80MContours are at a 5m interval

Mapping the terrain of Varanasi at 15 meter intervals revealed the high ridge on the west bank marked by three hills associated with the trident of Shiva. The promontories are the nuclei of three sacred regions of Varanasi—Omkareshvara Khanda in the north close to the confluence of River Varana with Gan-ga, Kedareshvara Khanda in the south close to Assi Nala, and Vishveshvara Khanda in the center. The high elevation of the west bank has made it suitable for urban settlement.

45

Figure 4.2 - Analysis of terrain

N

Bodhi Ashoka Bel Banyan Sandalwood

Sandy Clay Loam Clay Sandy Loam

16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J

Rabi Crops SownRabi Crops Harvested

Kharif Crops Harvested

Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat

RiceGreengram Sesame

Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

N



16% 46%25%13%

DM A A S O NMFJ J J



Kharif Crops Sown

Monsoon Season

BarleyWheat


Pearl Millet

LentilMustard

Soils and vegetation mapping of east and west banks of the Ganga points to several problematic issues. The soil is mostly sandy or a sandy loam and not an ideal medium for vegetation growth. Furthermore, it is not appropriate for building, as it does not have much support. The west bank of the Ganga is dense-ly built up with the ghats and has only a sparse num-ber of trees struggling for survival. In the northern section of the ghats, there is denser vegetation due to the Varana River and far fewer building structures. Many trees found in this section such as banyan and peepal trees have sacred associations. The farmland across the river is located on higher ground. Sea-sonal farming is done on the northern part of the west bank and towards the southern part of the east bank where the flood plain soils can support vegeta-bles and fruits.

46

Figure 4.3 - Mapping of soil and vegetation

N

Stretches of the west bank with a hard slope between the ghats are currently unused or just being used for drying. The land in these areas can be terraced open-ing up new possibilities. Pocket parks with small areas for vegetable gardening and clean bathing tanks are proposed. Furthermore, drying areas for washermen can still be provided. This will help create a more sustainable community space and add more greenery along the ghats. It could potentially lessen congestion from the more dense areas as well. Additionally, green terracing will help with erosion problems on the unbuilt slopes caused by flooding. In the vegetated semi-hard-scape local sandstone will be used to construct the terraces and native trees and grasses will be planted.

47

Figure 4.4 - Design proposal for seasonal parks on the ghat

point source pollution

requires inputs of fertilizer and pesticides that cause a decrease in dissolved oxygen levels in the river and pollute water supplies with harmful toxins. Much of the farming occurs along the water’s edge, making contamination even easier.

ritual activities, including cremation and cutting of hair contribute to pollution in the

Ganges, along with materials used for offerings

daily activities, including laundering and eating contribute to pollution in the Ganges, along with

large quantities of trash

contributes contamination in the form of

heavy metals and air pollution

non-biodegradable waste on the ghats of Varanasi:

detergent from those laundering along the shore

plastic bags food packaging soap from those bathing along the shore

colorful aluminum foil papers used during ritual celebrations

biodegradable and recyclable waste on the ghats of Varanasi:

food waste clay pots from chai, offerings, and other food items

animal waste lumber from old boats and structures

flower offerings bodies and animal carcasses

toxic fertilizers and pesticides used in surrounding farmlandcontribute to Ganga river pollution

toxic metals dumped into the river from manufacturing centers contribute to Ganga river pollution

Dinapur sewage treatment plant

DLW Complexsewage treatment plant

Bhagwanpur sewage treatment plant

sewage treatment plants servicing the city of Varanasi:

BOD before:

5-8 mg/L

BOD after:

20-50 mg/Lwater pollution levels before and after passing through

the city of Varanasi

A 2001 study by India’s Central Pollution Control Board found that

two of the three STPs in Varanasi are operating over capacity.

STPs in Varanasi dis-charge treated wastewater directly into the Ganga.

This water, though improved, is still far above safe BOD levels for human contact.

28 mg/L

3 mg/L

19 mg/L

10.5 mg/L

the permissible limit of BOD for bathing is

less than 3 mg/L.

Even without the waste of the city, the Ganga is too polluted for any rituals or human activity.

(BOD) is the amount of dissolved oxygen in a body of water needed by microorganisms in order to decompose organic matter. It is a measure of the degree of pollution in a given ecosystem.

DinapurBOD safe level

DLW Complex

BODbeforetreatment

BODafter

treatment

BODafter

treatment

BODafter

treatment

BODbeforetreatment

BODbeforetreatment

Water Pumping Station- Pampuwa Ghat

Water Pumping Station- Dr. Rajendra Prasad GhatWater Pumping Station- Jalasen Ghat

Water Pumping Station- Gola Ghat

ricetwo predominant cropswheatbajra (millet)

major industrial centers

cities along Ganga Rivercities along Ganga’s tributaries

(contribute to river pollution in the form of domestic waste)

MEERUT

AGRA

Vindhyas

Ganga River

NEW DELHI

MATHURA

SAHARANPUR HARDWAR

MUZAFFARNAGAR

BAREILLY

ALIGARH

FIROZABAD

RAE BARELI

BHOPAL

LUCKNOWKANPUR

ALLAHBAD

MIRZAPURVARANASI

PATNA FARAKKA

BAHARAMPUR

BARDDHAMAN

BHAGALPUR

KOLKATTA

HALDIA

ARA

’

HUGLI

GUJARAT

GURGAON-DELHI-MEERUT

Vindhyas

Ganga River

KANPUR

AGRA

The ghats are littered with rubbish and it is not un-common to stumble into rotting piles of offerings. Some of this waste finds its way into the Ganga, littering the shoreline and bobbing along with the current. Occasionally the horrifying sight of a float-ing half-cremated body can be seen. This calls into question the purifying powers of the holy river. Al-though industrial waste from the upper Ganga basin in Uttar Pradesh can account for some of the con-tamination of the Ganga, Varanasi city contributes to 350 million liters of sewage each day. Sewage and domestic waste drains into the river with only about one third of it processed by sanitary treatment facili-ties. The biochemical oxygen demand in the Ganga, a measure of contamination, increases by more than 500 percent after passing through Varanasi. Sewage treatment plants are operating over-capacity and waste management programs are not effective. Point source pollution from the street sewers pours into the river at locations shown on the map while non-point source pollution from industry and agriculture adds to the overall contamination levels.

Ritual offerings and the plastic bags they are carried in, washing of clothes and bodies, animal waste, 7000 tonnes of ash released from about 88 crema-tions every day and 300 tonnes of charred human flesh have made the Ganga unhealthy. Biodegrad-able and non-biodegradable waste products gener-ated on the ghats should be properly disposed of in an effort to reduce the amount of waste entering the river. Without urgent measures to mitigate pollu-tion this cultural, natural, and spiritual resource will threaten the safety of those who interact with it.

48

Figure 4.5 - Analysis of sources of pollution in ganga

https://swamanthan.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/how-young-socially-cosncisous-oar-boys-created-an-example-on-ghats-of-varanasi/

transforming waste into viable fertilizer




COMPOSTING IN VARANASI

THE COMPOST SYSTEM

OVERVIEW

COMPOSTING INPUTS

GHAT GARDENS - Section

GHAT WASTE RECEPTICLES

GHAT TUMBLERS &COMPOST GARDENS

RANA PRATAP GHAT - Precedent

A community ghat garden built by local oar-boys.

On-ghat compost tumblers.

Overflow compost

moved via boat to waste

centers.

Potted plants provide another use for compost.

Tumblers built from reclaimed materials


OTHER ADDITIVES

ash (for odor)

CARBON WASTEwoodchips

sawdustcotton

silk (sari fabric)paper

ritual basketsshells

NITROGEN WASTE

vegetablesfruit

food scrapsmarigoldsholy basil

Implementing a compost program in Va-ranasi offers a productive use for the bio-degradable waste currently polluting the Ghats. Ritual offerings, animal waste, food scraps and other compostable ma-terials rot on the steps, but it is possible for this refuse to be transformed into a productive growing medium.

The components shown on this board would be introduced to create a viable composting system. Compost produc-

tion would happen at two scales: on the Ghats themselves and as part of a larger solid waste management system in the event of overflow from the smaller scale composting.

The site-specific composting would uti-lize landings as miniature community gardens, and place tumblers, waste re-ceptacles, and rolling bins at strategic points along the 7-kilometer stretch.

PROPOSEDCOMPOSTING LOCATIONS

0m 100m 200m

Implementing a compost program in Varanasi offers a productive use for biodegradable waste currently point source pollution for the Ganga. Ritual offer-ings, animal waste, food scraps and other com-postable materials rot on the steps when they could be transformed into a productive growing medium. In the proposed system compost production would happen at two scales: at a smaller scale on the ghats themselves and as part of a larger solid waste management system. Site furnishings for composting include waste receptacles that sort garbage, recycla-bles, and compost materials, a well as compost bins, compost tumblers, and solid-waste transport boats that collect the sorted waste and take it to the solid waste management center on the north and east banks. The waste management center would handle garbage incineration, recycling, and compost pro-duction for nearby fields. The site-specific compost-ing would utilize landings as miniature community gardens, and place tumblers, waste receptacles, and rolling bins at strategic points along the ghat stretch.

A precedent for community members reclaiming ghat space for plant production exists already on the Rana Pratap Ghat. The compost gardens would be similarly socially engaged involving local community members.Compost site furnishings must be made from local materials. The tumbler barrels can be reclaimed from nearby industrial plants. Wooden frames to house trash bags, bins, and the tumblers themselves can be made from recycled lumber from old boats. The low, stacked-brick growing beds like those on the Rana Pratap Ghat garden can withstand flooding if prop-erly constructed and filled in with new soil at the be-ginning of each new season. Tumblers, bins, frames and trash bags, on the other hand, are all sufficiently mobile to be moved during the monsoon. With the proper utilization of local materials, education, and community engagement, composting can be a com-munity resource and a long-term sustainable solution for waste management.







THE COMPOST SYSTEM

OVERVIEW

COMPOSTING INPUTS







Overflow compost


centers.




OTHER ADDITIVES

ash (for odor)


sawdustcotton



NITROGEN WASTE

vegetablesfruit







0m 100m 200m







THE COMPOST SYSTEM

OVERVIEW

COMPOSTING INPUTS







Overflow compost


centers.




OTHER ADDITIVES

ash (for odor)


sawdustcotton



NITROGEN WASTE

vegetablesfruit







0m 100m 200m

49

Figure 4.6 - Design proposal for composting on the ghats

Bathers in the Ganga are exposed to contaminants through direct contact with water that has untreated effluent and waste. Pollutants are released into the Ganga when pilgrims bathe due to the use of soaps, or other detergents that contaminate the water. The prototype of the private bathing tank with filtration systems is designed to solve the water contamination problem. Bio-filtration systems under the two octag-onal platforms improve the water quality by pumping and releasing clean water from and to the Ganga. This ensures that the Ganga is not further contami-nated, but most importantly, to keep the bathing tank clean for pilgrims. The private bathing tank is most needed in Dashashwamedh Ghat as well as in many other ghats that are bathing hotspots along the sa-cred Ganga. The form is derived from existing design typologies of bathing structures on the ghats. The private bathing tank fulfills the crucial need of having a clean bathing environment in the Ganga.

N

50

Figure 4.7 - Design typology of ghat platforms

FILTRATION SYSTEM DIAGRAM

BATHING TANKS ALONG GANGADASHASHWAMEDH GHAT

• WATER PUMPEDVERTICALLY INTOBATHING TANK

• PRE-TREATMENT_SETTLING BASIN

• T R E A T M E N T _SANDFILTRATION

• WATERF R O MGANGAR I V E R

• FILTRATION SYSTEM TOAND FROM BATHING TANK

• ACCESSIBLE ROOF • SUPPORT PILINGS• P R I V A T EB AT H I N GA R E A

• E X I S T I N GSTEPS REMAINUNCHANGED

SECTION ALONG GHATS

MASSING DIAGRAM

51

Figure 4.8 - Design proposal for bathing tanks on the ghats

GROUND WATER CONTAMINATION & DEPLETION

1822 2014

EXISTING WATER BODIES & OPEN SPACE IDENTIFIED SOURCES OF GROUNDWATER & RIVER CONTAMINATION

1 km 1 km

1 km 1 km

RoadRail

Heritage Water Body

Unidentified Water Body

Built Over Water Body

Agriculture

Park

RoadRail

Sewage Treatment Plant

Community Dumping Area

Inner City Dump GW Test Sites

Direct Discharge Sites

Historic Data Boundary LIne Historic Data Boundary LIne

1 km

1972Historic Data Boundary LIne

WATER BODY LOSS OVER THE PAST 200 YEARS

There is an acute shortage of water in Varanasi be-cause the water supply system is over a century old and the distribution system is inadequate.About 55% of water supply needs are met by tube wells and hand pumps leading to ground water depletion. The adequate solid waste management and absence of sanitary water treatment plagues the ghats landscape and increase pollution in the Ganga . The city’s high resident and floating population strains current mu-nicipal facilities far beyond their functioning capaci-ties, which leads to large amounts of untreated waste water being expelled directly into Varana and Ganga Rivers and the failure to collect approximately eighty six metric tons of waste in the city every day. The combination of intermittent power loss, fluctuation in the Ganga velocities, rising and falling levels as well as outdated, poorly managed treatment facilities has resulted in deterioration of public spaces and increasing groundwater pollution.

The region once had an extensive system of natural and manmade water bodies called talabs and kunds respectively. In ancient times, these water bodies were constructed and used strategically to collect and store water for times of drought while uninten-tionally providing a natural groundwater recharge and filtration system for the city. As Varanasi ex-panded, these water bodies were encroached upon, depleted for drinking and irrigation water as well as filled in for urban development. The present situa-tion of amassing uncollected garbage has forced the community into establishing large-scale community dumping grounds on the outskirts of the city, as well as filling the low lying areas and ponds, i.e. what remains of the ancient water body network within the city with rubbish. Studies on groundwater qual-ity in Varanasi show that the most vulnerable points for groundwater contamination were in public areas filled with waste.

52

Figure 4.9 - Site analysis of ground water contamination

PASSIVE GROUNDWATER RECHARGE AND FILTRATION SYSTEM IN VARANASIVARUNA RIVER ACTION PLAN

MODIFY AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES AND ESTABLISH RIPARIAN BUFFER ALONG VARUNA

0m

CONSTRUCTED WETLAND RECREATION AREA -OBSERVATION TOWERS -TRAILS

RECLAIM INTERSTITIAL URBAN VOIDS AND REMEDIATE POLLUTED WATERBODIES

RETENTION PONDS

LIMESTONE LINED CELL

KACHHA BAGH

LIMIT AMOUNT OF UNTREATED WASTEWATER ENTERING RIVERS AND OPEN WATERBODIES

IMAGE SOURCE: GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE SOURCE: FLICKR.COM

VARUNA RIVER

STUDENT PHOTO

WASTEWATER DISCHARGE SITE INTO GANGA

a

a'

a a'

b

b'

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT/FILTRATION NETWORK: OPEN WATERBODIES & CONNECTING GREENWAYS

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE & CONNECTING TRAIL

COMMUNITY PARK WITH OIL BEARING CROP FIELDS TO SEQUESTER HEAVY METALS

WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY

VARUNA RIVER

OIL BEARING CROPS:H2O INFILTRATIONHEAVY METAL SEQUESTRATION

HORIZONTAL H2O FILTRATION

OBSERVATION TOWER

OPEN WATER

SHALLOW EMERGENT MARSH

DEEP MIXED EMERGENT MARSH

H2O INFILTRATION

H2O INFILTRATIONH2O INFILTRATION

b b'nts

OIL

BEARIING

CROPS

GREENWAY

RECLAIM

ED

WATERBODY

RECLAIM

ED

PUBLIC

SPACE

SUB-G

RADE

INFIL

TRATIO

N

TRENCH

FLOODPLAIN PROTECTION ZONE

heritage water body

proposed green network

contaminated site

unidentified water body

oil crop agriculture

existing park20m

40m

80m

0m

55m

110m

220m

The main objectives for the Varana Action plan are: 1. Reclaim interstitial urban voids and remediate existing polluted water bodies into a green and blue network to generate a rediscovered public domain. 2. Limit the amount of untreated wastewater directly entering the rivers and open water bodies. 3. Modify current agricultural practices along the Varuna River to establish a riparian buffer corridor and utilize oil-bearing crops to sequester heavy met-als in the soil and avoid public consumption of crops laden with toxins.

The site design includes a connected system of pas-sive stormwater management strategies: subterra-nean infiltration trenches, greenways, and a waste water treatment recreation area comprised of reten-tion ponds for settling and a constructed wetland organized specifically for treatment of water contam-inated with heavy metals and sewage. The large for-mer community dumping area will serve as a poten-tial space for a waste management facility as well as a site of extensive phytoremediation. This recreation area will connect the currently underappreciated ar-chaeological site with the proposed cultural heritage trail and the main transportation hubs of the city.

53

Figure 4.10 - Varuna rivershed reclamatio plan

In ancient times, inland water bodies dotted the watershed of Assi Nala, and they drained and stored water. During monsoons the overflow from the talabs drained into the Ganga. As the water level of the Ganga increased the overflow and the river mixed. A few years ago, Assi Nala was diverted southwards, so part of original Assi Nala lost its capacity to drain water to the Ganga. The new Assi drain has more strong drainage capacity, and the flow of the water is faster; however the inland water system is destroyed, and the city floods frequently in the monsoon sea-son. Currently the watershed of Assi Nala is heavily encroached, and the urban hydrology is disturbed. In order to deal with city floods, it is proposed to rein-troduce the original hydrology by changing the street section and increasing the street capacity to hold overflow during the monsoon season. The important historical and sacred sites in the area can be linked by the proposed heritage trail along this part of Nala.

54

Figure 4.11 - Site analysis of Assi nala watershed

Monsoon season water level

Normal water level

Buildings Vertical bank

AssiNala

Bufferbank

Visiting sites

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

10m

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

25m

Railway Station Road

Lanka-Godaulia Road

Assi Nala

Pushkar Kund

Dum Rao Park

Kurukshetra pokhra

Durga Kund

Anand park

New park

Durgakunt (by Pass) - Railway Station Road

Lanka-Godaulia Road

Inland water system proposal: REINTRODUCTION

Street section proposal: CHANGE IN VERTICAL

Street Street + Basin

Heritage route proposal: REORGANIZATION

New heritage route

New heritage route

100m

PUSHKAR TALAB

KURUKSHETRA POKHRA

DURGA KUND

NALA ASSI


Normal water level


AssiNala

Bufferbank

Visiting sites

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

10m

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

25m


Lanka-Godaulia Road

Assi Nala

Pushkar Kund

Dum Rao Park

Kurukshetra pokhra

Durga Kund

Anand park

New park


Lanka-Godaulia Road





New heritage route

New heritage route

100m

PUSHKAR TALAB

KURUKSHETRA POKHRA

DURGA KUND

NALA ASSI


Normal water level


AssiNala

Bufferbank

Visiting sites

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

10m

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

25m


Lanka-Godaulia Road

Assi Nala

Pushkar Kund

Dum Rao Park

Kurukshetra pokhra

Durga Kund

Anand park

New park


Lanka-Godaulia Road





New heritage route

New heritage route

100m

PUSHKAR TALAB

KURUKSHETRA POKHRA

DURGA KUND

NALA ASSI


Normal water level


AssiNala

Bufferbank

Visiting sites

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

10m

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

25m


Lanka-Godaulia Road

Assi Nala

Pushkar Kund

Dum Rao Park

Kurukshetra pokhra

Durga Kund

Anand park

New park


Lanka-Godaulia Road





New heritage route

New heritage route

100m

PUSHKAR TALAB

KURUKSHETRA POKHRA

DURGA KUND

NALA ASSI


Normal water level


AssiNala

Bufferbank

Visiting sites

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

10m

Dry

Extrememonsooncase

25m


Lanka-Godaulia Road

Assi Nala

Pushkar Kund

Dum Rao Park

Kurukshetra pokhra

Durga Kund

Anand park

New park


Lanka-Godaulia Road





New heritage route

New heritage route

100m

PUSHKAR TALAB

KURUKSHETRA POKHRA

DURGA KUND

NALA ASSI

55

Figure 4.12 - Design proposal for reclaiming the Assi nala

ACTI

VITI

ESPA

TTER

NFL

UVI

AL P

ROC

ESS

DEP

OSI

TIO

N

hight deposition

medium deposition

low land basins

The east bank is a flood plain flooded with water as the Ganga swells in monsoon leaving layers of silt and sand deposition along the convex shore-line. The higher sand mounds and lower alluvium is a shifting landscape changing with the season and with the Ganga’s flow. There is seasonal farming of watermelon and bitter gourd. The flood plain offers panoramic views of the ghats and is used for recreational activities such as pony rides and picnics. Aghoris have set up camps and have made sand lingas for worship.

The east bank is redesigned with the fluvial pro-cess of successive deposition. The low-lying areas are proposed as retention ponds planted with grasses for bio-filtration to occur. The intermediate level with rich alluvial deposits is designated for seasonal farming.

The highest level is planned for public use with the maidan (large public space for multifunctional use) in axis with Dashashwamedh Ghat on the west bank. During monsoon flooding the high points are still us-able. Sand dredged from the shoreline can be used to fill the low-lying area below the farmland where a me-morial grove is proposed. Sand dredging will increase the width of the Ganga flow by 300 meters and less-en the pressure on the west bank. Walking trails are proposed on ridges formed by accelerated natural process where the sand on the site is mixed with the bacteria Bacillus pasteurii forming into sandstone.

56

Figure 4.13 - Site analysis of east bank

SEAS

ON

AL F

ARM

S+PU

BLIC

SPA

CES

PUBL

IC S

PAC

ES+

VIEW

ING

BIO

FILT

ERS+

FARM

SC

ROSS

SEC

TIO

NPR

OC

ESS+

LAN

DFO

RM

57

Figure 4.14 - Site design proposal for east bank development

Dredging_increase river width

High Deposition_forest+public spaces

Medium Deposition_seasonal farms

Low land basins_biofilters

Sand+Bacteria_trails

Flooding condition

memorial grove

TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

existing level

proposed line of fill

existing level


existing level


TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

existing level


current conditions at Manikarnika Ghat

TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

existing level


existing level


existing level


existing level


TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

existing level


TYP

ES O

F T

REE

S T

O B

E U

SED

IN T

HE

MEM

OR

IAL

GR

OV

E

existing level


neem tree

banyan tree

ber tree

pipal tree

mango tree

Ganga

Memorial Grove

East Bank

alternatively, cremated ashes and compostable materials can be used to fertilize soil that helps trees grow

these memorial groves can serve as places of worship, remembrance, good health, and educational centers that teach the importance of green space and wildlife habitats

*approximate weight of the ashes of a single cremated body

*approximate amount of ashes produced dailyat Varanasi’s cremation ghats

soil nutrient layer

cremated ash layer

topsoil rich withcomposted material

subsoils with cremated ashes incorporated

bedrock

compost education&

ritual activity

*approximate number of bodies cremated daily in Varanasi

The idea of the Memorial Grove system is to use composted materials in topsoil to create a suitable environment for seeds to germinate, and then pen-etrate the deeper ash layer of soil as the roots grow. Because the Grove lies in a low-lying area of the East Bank, sediment fill from the shoreline into this area is proposed along with the planting of sever-al banyan trees in order to stabilize the area and help it withstand flooding. The Memorial Grove design incorporates a series of elevated platforms and walkways created from recycled wood. These large platforms allow for various activities including prayer, rituals, picnicking, and other recreational activities. These platforms act as openings in the grove, and are in the vicinity of one large memorial tree and a few smaller trees, or a small grouping of three memorial trees. The East Bank Memorial Grove is a site for remembrance, spirituality, recre-ation, and education.

Approximately 300-400 bodies are cremated ev-ery day on the banks of the Ganga. The ashes of a cremated body weigh roughly between 1.8 and 2.7 kilograms, or 4-6 pounds. Each day, as these bodies are cremated at ghats such as Manikarnika, a startling amount of ashes accumulates (between 544 and 1088 kilograms, or 1200-2400 pounds) at these sites, and much of it is dumped in the Gan-ga. Though intended as a positive spiritual act to ensure the soul’s passage into heaven, these ashes are contributing to the Ganga’s unbelievable levels of pollution. To reduce the pollution the concept of the East Bank Memorial Grove where ashes would be preserved was developed. The soil construction of the Memorial Grove applies the Biourn system at a much larger scale. Biourns are composed of two layers of soil- one upper organic layer housing tree seeds and a second layer that incorporates cremated ashes of loved ones. These layers are encased in a biodegrad-able “urn” that is planted in the ground. As the seeds germinate in the first layer of soil, the growing roots penetrate the ash layer and use the ash as fertilizer.

58

Figure 4.15 - Design proposal for memorial grove on the east bank

Seasonal farms on east bank

Terraced landscape along the ghats

Bathing tanks

Composting

Biofilteration ponds

Floodplain landscape

Conserved farmlands

Existing green

Memorial grove on east bank

Maidan on east bank

Nature trail on east bank

Ghats

83 - RAJA GHAT

81 - NAYA GHAT

79 - SAKKA GHAT

78 - NANDU GHAT

76 - TRILOCANA GHAT

75 - BADRI NAYARANA GHAT

71 - SITLA GHAT

70 - BUNDI PARAKOTA GHAT

68 - DURGA GHAT

69 - BRAHMA GHAT

67 - PANCHGANGA GHAT

63 - JATARA GHAT

62 - RAMA GHAT

52 - KHIRKI GHAT51 - JALASAYI GHAT

45 - TRIPURA BHAIRAVI GHAT

44 - MANMANDIR GHAT

43 - RAJENDRA PRASAD GHAT41 - DASASHWAMEDHA GHAT

42 - PRAYAG GHAT40 - SITLA GHAT

32 - PANDEY GHAT

31 - KHORI GHAT

28 - MANASAROVARA GHAT27 - SOMESVARA GHAT

26 - CAOWKI GHAT

24 - VIJAYNAGARAM GHAT

23 - LALI GHAT

18 - DANDI GHAT17 - GULARIA GHAT16 - SHIVALA GHAT15 - MAHANIRVANI GHAT14 - NIRANJANI GHAT

9 - JAIN GHAT8 - VACCHARAJA GHAT

5 - BHADAINI GHAT

4 - TULSI GHAT

1 - ASSI GHAT

84 - ADI KESHAVA GHAT

59

Figure 4.16 - Site plan II

60

The Ganga Action Plan has not been completely successful so far in part because it is guided by a top-down planning approach. In this engineering approach, cultural practices, folk beliefs, and local community tradi-tions are ignored. The multiplicity of stakeholders, widespread encroachment of public land, and ineffective and inadequate local ordinances are some of the challenges in conserving the Varanasi ghats. Site planning and management should take into account what is today considered non-essential knowledge—the esoteric language of myths, hidden meanings of rituals, and sanctity attributed to nature evident in everyday practices—so that a new culture specific, participatory model for solving complex problems can emerge. This bottoms-up eco-cultural approach advocates the use of appropriate technology, local materials, and renewable energy sources. Programs such as vending collaborative and on-site composting will engage the local communities and improve the local economy. Greening of the west bank embankment and seasonal farming on the east bank of Ganga and Varana banks are ecologically sensitive land uses. Recycling cremation ashes in the me-morial grove is an invented cultural tradition for environmental remediation, in keeping with the ethos of sacred landscape. Amphibian space created in floating platforms responsive to fluctuating water levels and bio-filtra-tion bathing tanks promote cultural traditions gradually being abandoned. Public spaces reclaimed as peace plazas and reclaiming surfaces as narrative spaces have the potential for healing communal strife and reviving urban art folk practices. Heritage conservation can thus become an empowering tool for local communities and for the visitor an opportunity for spiritual growth.

BibliographyChandramouli, K. Kashi—The City Luminous. Rupa & Co., 1995.

Dodson, Michael (ed.) Banaras: Urban Forms and Cultural Histories. Routledge, 2012.

Eck, Diana. Banaras, City of Light. Alfred Knopf, 1982.

Iravati. Rajghat: A Glade of Wisdom and Beauty. Kala Prakashan, 2012.

Jayaswal, Vidula. Ancient Varanasi: An Archaeological Perspective. Aryan Books International, 2009.

Gutschow, Niels. Benaras: The Sacred Landscape of Varanasi. Axel Menges, 2006.

Hertel, Bradley and Cynthia Ann Humes (eds.) Living Banaras: Hindu Religion in Cultural Context. State University of New York Press, 1993.

Gaenszle, Martin and Jorg Gengnagel (eds.) Visualizing Space in Banaras: Images, Maps, and Practice of Repre-sentation. Heidelberg Studies in South Asian Rituals, volume 4. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2006.

Lannoy, Richard. Benaras Seen from Within. Indica Books, 1999.

Michell, George and Rana P.B. Singh (eds.) Banaras: The City Revealed. Marg Publications, vol. 57, no. 2, De-cember 2005.

Jonathan Parkinson and Ole Mark. Urban Stormwater Management in Developing Countries. IWA Publishing, 2006.

Parry, Jonathan. Death in Banaras. Cambridge University Press, 1994.

Singh, Anoop, A.K. Upadhyay, U.K. Choudhary, and J.P. Sonkar, ‘Interrelationship between River Sedimentation and Meandering: A Case Study of Ganga at Varanasi’, Indian Journal of Research Anvikshika, April 2012.

Singh, Rana P.B. (ed.). Banaras (Varanasi): Cosmic Order, Sacred City, Hindu Traditions. Tara Book Agency, 1993.

Singh, Rana P.B. and Pravin Rana. Banaras Region: A Spiritual and Cultural Guide. Indica Books, 2006.

Singh, Rana P.B., ‘Urban Heritage and Planning in India: A Study of Banaras’, Ashok Dutt et al (eds.) Spatial Diversity and Dynamics in Resources and Urban Development. Springer 2013, pp. 201-221.

Conclusion

PROJECT CREDITS

Department of Landscape ArchitectureCollege of Fine and Applied ArtsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA

FacultyAmita Sinha

StudentsSamuel BanerElizabeth BarrPhilip BurkeAustin Chalkey*Ya Chen*Kathleen FerreroHeena Gajjar*Xinnan JiangMin KangJiwon KimQianyu Li Xiaoying Li*Pongsakorn Suppkittpaisarn*Matthew Reynolds*Madeline Schuette*Xinyue SuiJacob TromplerZhu Ya YangShurui Zhang*

Ting Hsuan Chang*Justin Vitkus*

*Participated in Varanasi Site Workshop, January 2014

Graphic Design: Heena Gajjar

Site Workshop ParticipantsBNCA College, Pune, India

Faculty Shubhada Kamlapurkar

StudentsTejal BapatPrajakta BarhateShreerekha GanduKarishma KallbhorSaudamini InamdarAnagha MhatrePriyanka LokhandeRenuka PatilDivya Verma Kekti TendulkarShruti SaitwalPriyanka Kulkarni

Ross UebergangSwinburne University, Australia

Manasi SaxenaCEPT University, Ahmedabad, India

Special Thanks to Professor Rana P.B. Singh, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, and Ajay Ratan Bannerjee, Varanasi chapter, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)

Supported by: Wadsworth Endowment, Department of Landscape ArchitectureCampus Research Board; Center for Global Studies, University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign, USA

61

c 2014 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, USA

Shiva explains in Kashi Purana “My lingas are everywhere there, like little sprouts arisen out of sheer bliss. Thus it is called the Forest of Biss.” A forest with Shiva lingas as thick as the fresh sprouts of spring: this is the vision of the sacred city as the Forest of Bliss, the Anandavana. -Diana L. Eck, 1982, p. 29

ghats of varanasi on the ganga in india; the cultural landscape reclaimed

Documents

historic landscape

performative landscape

shifting landscape

enacted landscape

dashashwamedha ghat

assi ghat

manikarnika ghat

site plan