BUILT ENVELOPE AROUND PARIKRAMA MARG IN INDIAN HOLY CITIES- A CASE OF AYODHYA AND KASI

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1 International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET) Volume 9, Issue 13, December 2018, pp , Article ID: IJCIET_09_13_178 Available online at ISSN Print: and ISSN Online: IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed BUILT ENVELOPE AROUND PARIKRAMA MARG IN INDIAN HOLY CITIES- A CASE OF AYODHYA AND KASI Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh Department of Architecture, Amity University Lucknow Campus , U.P, India, Dr. Vandana Sehgal Faculty of Architecture, Abdul Kalam Technical University Lucknow Campus , U.P India, ABSTRACT India is a diversified nation in terms of religion yet stand strong as a unified Nation where 80% of the people are Hindus [7]. Hinduism is not known as a religion but a way of life where each and every action have some symbolic relevance with the religion. The sacred parikrama is one of the best examples that can be identified as a ritual which is performed on a mass level throughout the nation in different region and cultures [6]. The last decade has seen a tremendous growth in a number of pilgrims. Where there is a rise in a number of pilgrims the infrastructure supporting has not been updated in the last decade. This paper seeks to find a relation between the rise in a number of pilgrims and the infrastructure needed to support the yatra is weather appropriate. It deals to find the actual parameters for developing policies and providing infrastructure facilities on sacred marg. This paper focuses on the calls of lack of infrastructure which effect the pilgrims during Yatra time and try to utilize the natural resources along the parikrama marg.the researcher tries to establish the relation between, 1. The difference between the off-time infrastructure and the infrastructure needed at the time of yatra. 2. The utilization of natural resources by creating padav on sacred places on the Parikrama Marg where pilgrims can rest and take part in religious activities without creating any harm to the resources. 3. To regulate the resource accessibility to the people performing Yatra, by providing them a comfortable environment on the Marg, as most of the people have only basic education and cannot understand the Sign Languages displayed on the marg editor@iaeme.com

2 Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal In this paper, the case studies conducted for Pradakshina path of Varanasi and Ayodhya have been analyzed to understand the above mentioned objectives. Both of these cities are the spiritual centers of ancient India situated on the river banks and considered to be holy Cities of North India. Keyword, Infrastructure, Natural resources, built envelope, safety, Pradakshina Path. Cite this Article: Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal, Built Envelope Around Parikrama Marg in Indian Holy Cities- a Case of Ayodhya and Kasi, International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 9(13), 2018, pp INTRODUCTION India known to be a land of many religions where few of the religions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism has originated and spread across the world. This shows the free spirit of human ideologies which has dominated around the globe with its teaching and practices. These practices have even been practiced by non- Hindus which is a clear sign of transformation in the behavior aspect of a human being. These teachings and practices have been spread throughout India with various preaching s and religious centers in ancient cities. The cities hold a status of a religious centre for practicing Hinduism in a traditional manner. With time the cities have developed infrastructure to support the pilgrims who are on their spiritual journey. As the time passes not only the teachings of Hinduism but the city, where these practices are being conducted became sacred and being called as Holy City, people in order to show their devotion perform parikrama of the city. 2. OBJECTIVES The objective of this Parikrama is to analyze our activities as a Human Being, who has performed his duties as a responsible citizen of the country. The sacred Yatra give you an experience of having nothing in your hand and presenting yourself in front of the almighty where you will be given the experience to devote yourself in the path of God Leaving All your Comforts. 3. DATA ANALYSIS Figure 1, Questionnaire on pilgrim age criteria (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) A major portion of the pilgrim is between the age of years and some are even older, which as per Indian traditions is the age for vanprastha Ashram where very little or no materialistic things to be needed during the Yatra. After analyzing the age criteria it can be clearly seen that the pilgrims who are performing the yatra belong to the age group yr editor@iaeme.com

3 Built Envelope Around Parikrama Marg in Indian Holy Cities- a Case of Ayodhya and Kasi of age. Around 30 % of the pilgrims belong to the age criteria of below 25yr. this kind of data cannot be seen two to three decades before. It clearly indicates the even young people are diverting their attention toward the religious and cultural centers. This major shift is because of the global economic stability of the country where young people can afford the yatra expenses. This ideology tends to save the growth of Yatra and the infrastructure required to facilitate so many people with several needs. With the modernization of Ancient India even the young people can afford to go on Yatra along with their family members, these people demand the facilities like modernization and up gradation of the infrastructures. The government has taken several steps to facilitate the pilgrims on their Yatra but somehow lack behind. There are no central or state level policies to govern such kind of yatra and to prepare a roadmap which could become a Reference Guide for all the Yatra performing in northern India. According to the data up tourism department it can clearly be seen that there is an increase of 6 per cent of pilgrims every year [8]. From the statistics, it can be seen that from , in twelve years time the percentage of people has increased to three times in the domestic sector, and about 14 times in the foreign sector. An average can be drawn that in every 4 years the number of tourists is double in the domestic sector and in the foreign sector the number is increased twice every year. With this kind of data, the present infrastructure will not be able to support even 10% of the people throughout the year. It clearly shows that people are getting dissatisfied with the infrastructure facilities provided on the marg. On analyzing the occupation chart achieved by conducting a survey on the Parikrama Marg, it can clearly be seen that around 60% the people are from low-income background, still there 40% of the people who are from middle and higher income group lacks to find a kind of infrastructure facilities according to their needs, as the infrastructure provided at that particular place are decade old and has not been updated ever since. Figure 2, Questionnaire on income status (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) Most of the pilgrims have basic income from agricultural business, so the infrastructure needed for the pilgrims must be economical and modular so that it can afford by many pilgrims and when needed it can be expanded as per the rise in the number of pilgrims. All these religious places most people have permanent residence and they have been living there from centuries. They have a strong belief that living in a sacred City will protect them from various risk. Various people from different places around the city have migrated towards the city in order to have a better occupation and good facilities like schools and hospitals for a better future for their family members editor@iaeme.com

4 Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal Figure 3, Questionnaire on sewer disposal (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) More than 35% of the house does not have a drainage of wastewater system this wastewater discharged into Open Spaces or in kund areas leaving the kund water more polluted than ever. The natural slope of the site helps in contaminating the surface water thus making the water of kund impure for any domestic use. This water percolates into the subsoil contaminating the underground water [3]. So there is an urgent requirement of a sewer system to cater the wastewater away from the sacred site. The contaminated water thus can be treated and released into the agricultural fields for irrigation purposes. Figure 4, Questionnaire on waste disposal (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) More than 35% of the solid waste has been disposed into open areas or being burnt in open spaces creating air pollution. Solid wasted which was directly exposed in open mixes with the open sources if water supply and storage areas making then even more pollutant than before. Waste in open area creates a breeding ground for various diseases waiting to be spread. Figure 5, Questionnaire on water resources (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) The city has a municipal water supply system which is not enough regarding the size of the city. More than 25% of people who can afford to have their personal supply rely on groundwater by various means. At some places, water facilities have been provided by the government on ruler areas around the parikrama Marg but they are adequate as they are not editor@iaeme.com

5 Built Envelope Around Parikrama Marg in Indian Holy Cities- a Case of Ayodhya and Kasi being able to cater to the needs of locals. Even the locals have to rely on kunds and wells close to their house for their needs like the washing of clothes and drinking purpose for their animals, thus leaving no place for pilgrims to utilize the water resource. On Parikrama Marg, the condition even worse as no government supply is there and all the water present are either through bore Wells and Wells. The domestic water supply on the Marg is obtained by local ponds and kunds which is not clean for drinking purpose and clean water sources are difficult to access. Clean water for drinking purpose is expensive to get as it was obtained by deep bore Wells which results in the drop off water level in that particular region leaving much of the kunds and ponds in a dry state or very little water in it [4]. By providing municipal supply to that particular region we can provide safe drinking water to local resident and pilgrims. By this, we can reduce the number of bore wells resulting in overexploitation of natural groundwater resource with this process in time to come the underground water level will be increased and kunds and ponds can have a surplus amount of water to cater the needs of pilgrims. Figure 6, Questionnaire on sanitation system (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) Almost 40% of the people use either open areas for basic needs or depends upon the public toilets made for pilgrims these Public toilets have no sewer system that cater the sludge. That's resulting place more unhygienic. The infrastructure made for pilgrims are being utilized by the local and were poorly maintained. A separate system of either mobile wagon is required to cater to the needs of locals and pilgrims which can be shifted to different locations as per need and demand. Local must be given help to construct their own toilets in indoor and outdoor areas of residence leaving a less dependency on infrastructure built for pilgrims. Figure 7, Questionnaire on Transportation system (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) editor@iaeme.com

6 Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal Most of the pilgrims tend to avoid public transportation on parikrama Marg but there is a tremendous pressure by locals demanding public transportation on Parikrama Marg as because local public living on the Parikrama Marg depends on the parent City for occupation and basic supplies. A good transportation network not only eases their lifestyle but also gave them an opportunity to go for better occupation having less dependency on a contemporary occupational system. Figure 8, Questionnaire on signage system (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) Parikrama Marg is not even equipped with basic signage system and most of the people are not even aware of the meanings of signage as their education is up to primary or secondary level who are not able to understand the sign language. Figure 9, Questionnaire on Padav Sthal (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) More than 50% of the pilgrims demands more padav Sthal on the parikrama Marg as all these Margs being passed from the outer verge of a city where very less living habitats are available to support the pilgrims. According to the pilgrims, kunds and water body share the same importance as the temple complex itself because without the prior water source that temple complex could not be there. It can also be said that the Parikrama passes through that same place because of the availability of water bodies in that particular place. Figure 10, Questionnaire on religious belief (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) editor@iaeme.com

7 Built Envelope Around Parikrama Marg in Indian Holy Cities- a Case of Ayodhya and Kasi Most of the people believed that before entering into a temple complex people need to purify themselves and must contain water, food as an offering for the deity. Kunds serve this purpose on a larger scale by providing space for bathing and water for rituals to perform. Nearly 60% of the people agreed that they prefer to take bath in the pond area if they were properly restored because they wanted to experience the divine believe which their forefathers have already experienced. Removing of kunds from the Yatra will not only affect the Parikrama Marg but also affect the local people who rely on kunds for their basic needs. Most of the people who came here are with their family members as they want a blessing for their family by presenting them self in front of the Almighty. Figure 11, Questionnaire on climatic factors (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) A good monsoon not only affect the number of pilgrims but also recharge the water bodies and kund areas, it can be observed from the data of the tourism department that there is a rise in the number of pilgrims after having a good monsoon season. There is a reason behind it that most of the pilgrims belong to an agricultural occupation which mostly relies on a good monsoon. A good monsoon washes away the impurities of the kund area leaving the water to be purified for bathing purpose. Figure 12, Questionnaire on infrastructure. (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) Padav does have some infrastructure facilities which has to cater to the needs of pilgrims in the past, but the rise in the number of pilgrims in the last decade has made a serious concern as infrastructure facility was not being updated in reference of the pilgrims hence there is an urgent upgrade in the infrastructure on the parikrama marg. Restoration of parikrama Marg needed to be done as Marg does not only define the Spiritual importance of a city but also act as a boundary of a city for a controlled growth, by restoring Parikrama Marg one can control the growth of a city on the outer verges resulting a unanimous growth of a city. Since the public facilities have been concentrated on a particular area especially places having public concentration because of a transportation facility in that region, rest of the places are being neglected as no infrastructure has been updated and maintained in several years resulting in a decline in the number of people on the Parikrama Marg editor@iaeme.com

8 Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal Figure 13, Questionnaire on User experience (Source: survey conducted by researcher.) Various people have shown there keen interest on staying on the padav Sthal and wanted to be a part of bhajan and Keertan as they want them self to be closer to the divine power by means of bhajan Keertan, but they failed to do so. 4. SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION Types of infrastructure required on Parikrama Marg have been classified into various segments, these sectors together make an infrastructure hub or a module which can be repeated at certain intervals to create a network of facilities to support the pilgrims during their Yatra. Shelter- Tourist shelter have been provided on various Parikrama Marg in order to facilitate the pilgrims, the infrastructure was poorly maintained and never been upgraded in decades. The number of pilgrims which the shelter can accommodate is also very less as compared to the number of pilgrims performing the Yatra leaving no option but to stay in open spaces or to depend on the shelter facilities provided by the locals and the NGOs on the marg. Community toilets- Most of the community toilets are poorly maintained and lacks basic facilities. The number of toilets provided is very less in comparison to the number of pilgrims in the Yatra, because of the poor maintenance these toilets neither not in use or their basic infrastructure is damaged or insufficient to work properly. These basic facilities when not provided demoralize the pilgrims during the Yatra. Most of these toilets are used by the local public as a community toilet with no or poor maintenance. People who are less fortunate have no other option but to use this infrastructure. So the pilgrims have no option but to use open Spaces for their basic needs. Road Network- With the development of the country government has taken steps to upgrade the road network on all the parikrama Marg as all the Margs have been passing through outer verges of a city. But this process took 70 years of development and still lack behind the basic much-needed requirement like footpath and resting benches and shade through trees so that pilgrims could ease their yatra without much affected by harsh climate. There are places where the road passes through various villages and smaller settlements where the road width has been reduced to a bare minimum for the pilgrims to pass. These roads are encroached by locals in one way or the other for their daily needs thus making a bottleneck for the pilgrims to pass where an incident is been waiting to happen. Parking-Parking has become the controversial issue as many people are performing their yatra on vehicles and resting on padav Sthal. They are forced to do as there are no facilities from the family members during the parikrama time. This creates a ruckus on the streets where people and vehicle are colliding with each other and hamper the safety and security of the pedestrian. Many times it became difficult to control the parking of the vehicle as there is no official place for parking editor@iaeme.com

9 Built Envelope Around Parikrama Marg in Indian Holy Cities- a Case of Ayodhya and Kasi Changing Room- During the parikrama pilgrims use to take bath in kund and water bodies associated with it. But these spaces are in open areas leaving no facility of any indoor changing areas both for male and females. People have to take the matter into their own hands and trying to create some kind of visual partition for making a safe environment. Sewer System- There is almost no sewer system has been provided on the padav areas. All the toilets which were made by the government are not connected to any kind of sewer system thus making their service period for a very limited time. After that these toilets have to be disowned along with their infrastructure. Instead of adding infrastructure to support the yatra we are actually disowning the present infrastructure because of its limited time usage, thus starting our self to point zero. People are dissatisfied by this system shifted them self-back to open areas to be used as the natural ground for basic needs, thus making the surrounding even more polluted than ever. There is an urgent need for a smaller sewer treatment system so that the present infrastructure can be utilized and can also support the locals helping them in the safe discharge of their sewer waste. Drainage line- All the Padav area associated with parikrama has no drainage plans for regular or monsoon water. This water is left to discharge in open areas like ponds and kunds contaminating the water of the sacred kund. The habitats living around the temple complex dispose of their water in open roads or in the lower level of the habitats. This stagnant water then became the breeding ground for various bacteria and flies affecting the health of the locals and the pilgrims. Medical facilities- All the medical facilities are either taken care by NGO or by the local s helping the pilgrims. No PHC is available on the parikrama marg. At the time of yatra the condition became even worse due to lack of medical camps, even the locals have to travel toward the city area for any kind of medical assistance. Pilgrims have to carry their own supply of medicine for any kind of emergency POLICY FRAME WORK This paper seeks to find the relationship between the infrastructure present and the growth rate of the pilgrims during parikrama time. For application of suggestions, the application of policies should be as follows: The padav should be placed at every 3 km as the max no. of pilgrims lies between the ages of yr. The basic amenities should be provided on the basis of percentage of male-female ratio of pilgrims. A separate area for cooking should be provided in the padav Sthals, as people are accompanied by their individual food supplies. Inquiry centres should be provided at every padav Sthals as most of the people find it difficult to understand the sign language. All the toilets along with the parikrama Marg should be connected through the sewer line. Separate water supply network should be established for local residents and pilgrims. The Infrastructure of modular design is to be provided for catering the variable no. of pilgrims at different occasions. Primary health centres should be placed on the parikrama Marg close to a local settlement. Public transport should be provided on the parikrama Marg by separating pedestrian and vehicular traffic editor@iaeme.com

10 Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh and Dr. Vandana Sehgal Kunds and water bodies on the parikrama Marg should be restored as they share the same historical significance [1]. Kunds water can be used for self-purification as the large area of the kund can cater to hundreds of pilgrims at the same time for self-purification. Separate areas for purification of male and females is to be provided, as to maintain the privacy of the pilgrims. Separate indoor changing rooms should be provided for both males and females The practice of solid waste management should be introduced. By restoring parikrama Marg urban and rural growth in that region can be controlled. Conservation and reuse of heritage structures and facilities for pilgrims [2]. Public participation should be involved for the heritage conservation [5]. REFERENCES Published Report: [1] Mohan kshitij, Srivastava Ajay, Rai Praveen kumar, June 1 /2011 pp Ground water in the city of Varanasi, India present status and prospects. [2] Elonokaly Dr. Amira and Elseragy Dr. Ahmed, European journal of sustainable development 2013, 2, 31-34, issn , Sustainable Heritage Development: Learning from Urban Conservation of Heritage Projects in Non Western Contexts. [3] Srivastava N.K, Scientist B, Ground water brochure of Faizabad dist. U.P, A.A.P [4] Kumar Rakesh, Singh R.D, and Sharma K.D, current sciences, Volume 89, no. 510 Sept. 2005, pp , Water resources of India. Handbook: [5] "Safer Homes, Stronger Communities: A Handbook for Reconstructing after Natural Disasters," published by the World Bank in January Web site: Websites: [6] [7] Publications: [8] Ar. Madhavendra Pratap Singh, Dr. Vandana Sehgal, Parikrama: A spiritual walk to celebrate the Agricultural Harvesting Hindu Religious Cities, pg , International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 7, Issue 11, November 2017, ISSN editor@iaeme.com