Adi ganga, a sacred river of Kolkata, using landscape urbanism approach

Abstract

Adi Ganga or the ancient route of Ganga used to be a critical element in the socioeconomic and ecological landscape of colonial Kolkata, both as a navigable waterway and as a setting of rich culturescape, dotted with numerous temples and sacred groves. The eventful history of old Kolkata unfolded on the banks of this river,remnants of which survive to this day. In the past to centuries the mighty BhagirathiHoogli changed its course substantially, leaving the Adi Ganga as a dying canal.The first instance of human intervention to restore navigability of Adi Ganga was in1776, when Major William Tolly dug a canal from Garia to redirect water flow to a minor river called Bidyadhari at Samukpota 15 kelometers to the south- east of Kolkata. The Tolly Nallah exist today as a neglected drainage and sewerage canal,its significance as both natural and cultural heritage being long lost to the citizens of the metropolis. Landscape Urbanism has the power to integrate diverse physical programs and socio-cultural agendas through suttle interventions in urban open spaces. The Adi Ganga stretch from its confluence with Hoogli at Dai Ghat till the Major Hindu pilgrimage site of Kalighat, is envisaged as a navigable waterway with stretches of landscape part socio-culturally active spaces and re-velarized heritage structures. Through a combination of activity anchors which would manipulate visitor experience along the canal sensitization of the people to the ecological vulnerability of the canal is plan by a series of dense forested area, linear butterfly garden, park, plaza,boating jetty, ghat, community garden. Heritage structures are made the focus of these landscape intervention projects.To demonstrate the objective of this Landscape Urbanism thesis the stretch between Zerut Bridge and Kalighat temple road is chosen because of concentration of high footfall tourist area as well as heritage structure. Some key points of interest along the canal in this stretch include the Alipore Zoo, the Alipore European Cemetery, temples like Kali temple, Durga temple, Annapurna temple, terracotta Shiva temple etc. A huge potential of design intervention in this area is the now abandoned heritage structure of Alipore central jail. Also there are existing government proposal of inserting socio-cultural spaces along the canal. In this fortunate combination of events the thesis finds potentials to draw the people of Kolkata into a journey of re discovering of Adi Ganga.