HERITAGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN for
VARANASI
Sponsored by:
Varanasi Development Authority (VDA)
Prepared by:
Architectural Heritage Division,
Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
Oct 2011
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
The Eternal City of Varanasi as one of the highest
embodiments of
Indian culture, religion and spirituality
A potential world heritage city
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Varanasi Historic City City – Oldest Living City of World…..
1900
2010
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Heritage Development Plan for Varanasi:
• Basis for regulation of its heritage zones
• Basis for conserving the built cultural heritage of Varanasi
• Seeks to provide an interface of heritage management
with spatial planning to come up with a regulatory
framework for development that is heritage sensitive
Output: Regulations and guidelines in
consonance with the cultural character of the city
that may be processed as part of Master Plan/
Zonal Plans, Zonal Regulations and Development
Controls.
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
GENERATING BASE INFORMATION
• Cultural Resource Mapping & Inventorying/ Listing
•Typologies Include:
Temples, Mosques, Gateways, Ghats, Kunds, wells,
Residential Buildings, Dharmshalas, Civic Buildings,
Institutional Buildings etc.
•TOTAL 1370
Beside this there are 5 Heritage zones as per MP, & 5
proposed as Per HDP
Basis for heritage zoning and formulation of regulations in the HDP
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
REVIEW OF EXISTING FRAMEWORK
Sectors for Consideration
• Cultural & Natural heritage protection and management
• Spatial planning
• Local governance and Socio-economic planning for
development
• Infrastructure development
• Land management
• Visitor Management and Tourism
• Legal Framework & Institutional Mechanism
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
ISSUES:
Heritage Related Lack of protection to heritage for its conservation
Potential danger to religious atmosphere
Poor and/or no maintenance of heritage
Destroyed visual potential esply ghats
Development Related Increasing population
Shrinking spaces
Modifying urban spaces and heritage character
Tourism and pilgrimage pressures
Increasing traffic
Environment pressures
Operational Issues Multiple agencies with overlapping jurisdictions
Lack of funds for conservation
Lack of adequate technical capacity
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Use of Master Plan* for Heritage Regulation in
lieu of Amendments to the Planning Law
• Identification of other heritage zones
• Ramnagar
• Panchkroshi Yatra Marg
• Mughalsarai
• Varanasi Cantonment
• Banaras Hindu University
• Identification of Heritage Sub-Zones (precincts)
within Heritage Zones (Mohallas, historic
commercial spines etc)
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Heritage Zones of Varanasi
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
• Areas of High Priority Protection
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
ADOPT HERITAGE REGULATIONS : Based on Model
Regulations notified by Govt of UP.
• Will Define Heritage (Cultural and Natural) of city
• Notify Heritage buildings and precincts as per
Listing
• Establish Heritage Committee to assist VDA is
taking decisions Heritage Related Issues.
• Membership including VC, Municipal Commissioner, Town
Planner, INTACH(as per MP), Conservation architect etc.
• Constitution of State Level Advisory cum Monitoring Group
• Will help in preparation of Development Controls,
Building By-laws and Architectural Guidelines as
per historic building character of Varanasi
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Review of Existing By-laws • 50 mts around heritage building no construction zone?
• New building around heritage building to be single storey?
• Set backs
INCENTIVES
• Property Tax Rebate
• Access too Heritage Fund
• TDR
• Flexible Landuse Conversions
CAPACITY BUILDING
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Heritage Related Pilot Proposals Thematic Detailed Project Reports
THEMES PROJECTS
Urban Heritage Conservation &
Development
Dasashwamedh Cultural Qtr
River front
Rural Area Development &
Pilgrimage infrastructure
Panchkroshi Yatra Halts
Conservation of Water Bodies Sarang, Pishachmochan &
Pushkar Kunds
Conservation & Reuse of Heritage
Building for Tourism Infrastructure
Chet Singh Ghat & palace as
a Cultural Center and
Jagannath temple complex
as Art & craft center,
Heritage Building Conservation Balaji Ghat, St. Mary Church
& Tripolia gate
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
LOCATION
Dasashwamedh Cultural Quarter
•Located in one of the three cultural quarters (Visweswara Khanda) •Central to old city of Varanasi. •Covers significant river front (ghats) and main public area of the city.
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
PROJECT CONCEPT & PROPOSAL
Entire proposal divided into four Sub Projects
SUB PROJECT 1 Development of pedestrian environment of the road from Goudhulia Chouhmani to Dasashwamedh Ghat. Project Cost- Rs. 8.06 Crs SUB PROJECT 2 Façade-scape development and Street facing property management on the road from Goudhulia Chouhmani to Dasashwamedh Ghat. Project cost- Rs. 1.70 crs SUB PROJECT 3 Historic riverfront regeneration (from Pandey Ghat to Lalita Ghat) Project Cost Rs. 14.72 crs
SUB PROJECT 4 Development of ‘Varanasi Sanskriti Darshan’ at the present Site of Dasashwamedh vegetable and fish market. Project cost Rs. 7.93 crs
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
ISSUES & CONCERN- Southern Ghats
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
CONCEPT PLAN
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
CONCEPT PLAN
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Rural Area Development & Pilgrimage
Infrastructure • Panchkroshi Yatra Halts
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
BHIMACHANDI -SITE PLAN
Restoration & Development of Kunds,Varanasi
Pushkar
Kund
PISHACH MOCHAN
Kund
SARANG
Kund
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Proposed Detailed Plan: Sarang Kund
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
• Historically significant in the history
of Varanasi due to the war in 1781
between Chet Singh and British
troop led by Warren Hastings.
CHET SINGH GHAT CULTURAL
CENTRE VARANASI
Conservation and reuse proposal
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Entrance Zone
Food Court Craft Zone Sacred Zone
Temple Char Bagh
History Entry Zone
CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SHRI JAGANNATH TEMPLE built in 1790 @ ASSI GHAT, as ART & CRAFT BAZAAR
Conservation & Development of Heritage Sites
Now a WMF endangered site of 2011
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Pediment
Trigylph
Mutules
Regulae
Architrave
Frieze
Stylobate
Metope
Pediment
Conservation of St Mary’s Church
Architectural Heritage Division, INTACH December ‘09
H E R I T A G E D E V E L O P M E N T P L A N F O R V A R A N A S I
Thank you
Divay Gupta, Principal Director.
Architectural Heritage Division
INTACH Conservation Architect
M Arch, Conservation (SPA),
M. Heritage Management (Univ of Birmingham)
Certificate courses on conservation from ICCROM,
www.intach.org