Reviving the Sacred Charachter in Transforming Core of Nashik

Abstract

Nashik is an ancient city in the northwest region of Maharashtra situated on the banks of river Godavari. It has a rich cultural heritage and is an important Hindu pilgrimage site, that of Kumbha Mela which is held every 12 years. It has a link with the epic poem ‘Ramayana’. Holy river Godavari, Ram Kund, Shri Kalaram Sansthan Mandir and Panchavati a temple complex contributes to the city fabric. Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jains, Christians and Sikhs coexistence is visible in the spatial structure of the city. As the city is of mythological importance and most sacred activities happen on the river edge the city s known as holy place for Hindu religious activities. Due to the significance from the past and its relationship to mythology the city is attracting an influx of population on daily basis and this is also increased when there are some festivals and lot of various rituals are also being carried out here over. Transformation should be embraced however the historicity of the place should not be compromised. The city has its own character which gives it an unique identity of Wada architecture which are now being in a dilapidated condition. The topography of the city has a unique identity and the river flowing below was the main source of the formation of settlement around there. Considering the geography and mythology and history running parallelly the city gained significance in terms of religious activities and bazars serving the other cities and trade being an important element to the development of the city. According to Matthew Carmona in the book Public Places - Urban Spaces where he would focus on the 5 key aspects of Urban design’s social dimension which would tell us the relation between people and space, the interrelated concepts of “Public realm” and “Public Life”. This thesis intends to retain the cultural aspects and enhance the public realm and the religious tourism in the city. The city attracts a large number of tourists on various occasions such as Ram Navami, shiv Jayanti, Rangpanchami. And how these can be revived and preserved and forwarded to other generations.