27/04/2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YViishrVvm8&t=43s
Nearly 14 billion years ago an event of ‘big bang’ sparked the evolution and expansion of the universe, bursting out matter-antimatter, energy-dark energy, galaxies, black holes, stars, planets and many more known unknown entities; subsequently our solar system and our own planet. It took millions of years of intense process later on to evolve the life on earth and the early human to Homo sapiens what is called as a modern human, the most dominating species on this ‘pale blue dot’. The later revolutions in the human history from migrations to discoveries & inventions and from settlements to crusades, the diverse ideologies were forming up in different parts of the world shaping the human perceptions and became the most integral part of the humanity. The ideology called as a ‘Religion’.
However science has concepts about the evolution of the universe and life on earth, each religion present on this planet has respective perceptions about the same expressing the supernatural/superhuman in the various forms of GOD, cycle of life & death and many other practices. Like the ‘big bang’ which is the origin of the universe, each religion has ‘a core’ way back to many centuries acting as an epicenter or one of the major marks in the timeline. The physical built form representing the perspectives on religious morals became the symbol of faith. Many of these divine places became the significant reason as a nucleus for the settlement around which identified as a cosmic town. In the following years/centuries after the establishments, some of the sacred origins witnessed many crusades and invasions from other religious dominant groups; demolished/altered/converted. Some have witnessed extreme natural calamities and some had reformed with the time. These various events which have been taking in timeline since the establishments drastically transformed the physical, social and cultural nature of the holy origins. Attracting millions of visitors and pilgrims since long, these icons are the identities of the world religions and even today many of are being reformed through architectural interventions for the betterment keeping the core values intact.
PROGRAM:
Architecture has always been the most integral part for shaping the humanity. Keeping the architectural parameters as a subject of study, ten religious places are evaluated under the criteria as these should be in the midst of the settlement and acting as a nucleus. A uniform stipulated study area of 1sqkm. (1km. x 1km.) defines the context keeping the icon at the center. The study is further analyzed under the order of scale, congregational & transitional spaces, connectivity & contextual fabric and volumes & character. Ten religious icons are selected as Kashi vishwanath temple India, Temple Mount Jerusalem, Mahabodhi Temple India, St. Peter’s Basilica Vatican City, Al-Masjid Al-haram Saudi Arabia, Sensoji Temple Japan, Meenakshi Temple India, Notre Dame Cathedral France, Golden Temple India and Trinity Church U.S.A. These are among the most significant religious icons in the world plays pivotal role for shaping the community & the context and are the magnets for millions of visitors and pilgrims.
Nearly 14 billion years ago an event of ‘big bang’ sparked the evolution and expansion of the universe, bursting out matter-antimatter, energy-dark energy, g...
