COVER

Envisioning a Resilient Cultural Landscape

Ghats on the Ganga, Varanasi, India

Department of Landscape Architecture

College of Fine and Applied Arts
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
Table of Contents

Summary 1
Introduction 2
Assi Ghat 3-12
Dashashwamedh Ghat 13-20
Manikarnika Ghat 21-30
Panchganga Ghat 31-40
Adi Keshav Ghat 41-48
Conclusion 49
References 50
Acknowledgements 51
Summary
The monograph summarizes the result of a site workshop in Varanasi (Jan
4-10, 2016) by faculty and students from the Departments of Landscape
Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), USA and
Bhanubhen Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA), Pune, India.
The landscape planning and design proposals outlined in the workshop were
developed in a semester long studio (January-May 2016) at the UIUC campus.
Sustainability is the key to landscape planning and management so that the
invaluable and immense heritage of the ghats can be preserved for future
generations. Sustainability can be achieved by the use of renewable source of
energy, local materials and low-cost appropriate technologies. Climate
adaptability of built structures and their potential for multipurpose use plus their
recycling potential are important criteria. The built edge of the Ganga Riverfront
in Varanasi is complex and layered, and is a dynamic landscape created by
spatial practices. This complexity needs to be taken into account in the bottoms
up planning approach using local energy and resources. This approach entails:
• planning a resilient landscape that will recover from flooding events,
• designing new structures for public conveniences that are portable, light
weight, and modular, to be deployed as occasion demands and can be moved
when the Ganga rises during monsoons,
• energy production relying on solar power,
• treating biodegradable waste contributing to Ganga’s pollution as a resource.

Five ghats—Assi, Dashaswamedh, Panchganga, Manikarnika, and Adi

Keshav Ghats-are selected for studies on spatial practices, sun and shade,
flooding, and local point source pollution. Site designs and management
strategies based upon site studies are proposed for these ghats.

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 Introduction
The cultural landscape of the ghats was mapped to develop
management programs and propose sustainable design solutions
for sites and structures. Google Earth, survey map, wikimapia
maps, reports, books, and photographs were consulted for
developing the base map in AutoCAD to show buildings, ghats,
streets and other open spaces, water bodies, vegetation and
semi-fixed structures. Data on natural phenomenon—monsoon
rains, sun and wind—on the ghat landscape was collected and
analyzed to make use of renewable sources of energy and create
comfortable microclimates. The symbolic meanings of vegetation
and animals were interpreted, and their use of public spaces, and
ways in which their energies and waste can be harnessed, were
studied. Spatial practices—rituals and performances—as kind of
enacted intangible heritage and their shaping of spaces and forms,
was mapped. To understand how the urban edge is articulated to
support the diverse range of activities on the riverfront, the spatial
and formal design language of the ghats was studied. The formal
grammar unites the vertical historic facades of riverfront buildings
with the horizontal surfaces of steps and landings. The prototypical
forms—bastions, burjes, balconies, jharokhas, aedicules, portals,
pavilions and platforms—were studied in terms of basic shapes,
colors, ornamentation, and building materials. The spatial grammar
consists of volumetric enclosure created by buildings, colonnades,
pavilions, trees, built niches, eaves, stairs, and built niches. The
transition from enclosure to openness, and ways in which it is
modulated and how level differences are negotiated and spaces
created in thresholds, steps and landings, platforms, and terraces
are shown.
The flows of people and animals on the ghats was mapped and
visual taxonomy of the human and animal activities resulting in
waste that finds its way to the Ganga and contributes to ground
and air pollution was developed. Cultural events such as aarti and
cremation practice were analyzed as sequence of activities in time
by showing how the body is engaged in spatial practices and
noting typical postures and gestures. This mapping showed how
the performance and its audience generate space. The life on the
ghats changes in response to the river flow and the water level in
dry and monsoon seasons. Mappings show how much of the ghats
(and streets and other open spaces) come under water during the
monsoons and how the excess stormwater from the city is finding
its way into the Ganga and bringing with it liquid waste. The stone
clad ghats are a large built up surface and are uncomfortable for
the many activities during the peak days in summer. Places that
receive the greatest amount of solar radiation during a hot summer
day are mapped and location and form of shade devices in use are
studied to speculate on how the solar energy can be productively
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Assi Ghat
Assi ghat is the southernmost ghat in Varanasi. It is at the
confluence of Ganga and Assi Nala and is an auspicious site for
bathing especially on Makar Sankranti. The symbolic significance
of Assi Nala lies in its being equated with the sword of goddess
Durga who had killed the demons Shumbha-Nishumbha with it and
then thrown it on the ground. Today, Ganga has shifted from the
ghat leaving a large silt deposit on the flood plain. The ghat is being
extended southwards and new hotels are being constructed on the
flood plain. There is no green cover on the newly built paved areas.
The steps of the 19th century Sangameshwara temple are a popular
place to sit, especially for Banaras Hindu University students. The
local landmark is a large banyan tree with the Kundodareshwara
Shivalinga.

It is a popular ghat for tourists to begin their journey and is

surrounded by hotels, souvenir shops, bookstores and restaurants.
The public life of the ghat follows the rhythm of daily life. Follwing
the morning aarti and yoga sessions in Subah-e-Banaras, activities
in the morning are slower and more private like bathing and
praying. At noon, the ghat is energetic, the activities become
recreational and more tourists get involved in the life on ghat.
After the evening aarti, the ghat gradually quietens down. Platforms
are being used to pray, sell, bless people, sleep, rest, and change
clothes before and after holy dips.
1
Two major waste problems in Assi ghat are cow dung and domestic
sewage from nearby residences. Cows and buffalos hang out in the
ghat eating garbage and littering the place with their dung. A buffalo
field is proposed for housing the cattle in the nearby public maidan.
Fresh flowers used in aarti performance would be gathered to feed
the cattle and their dung would be collected in the bio-digester. The
buffalos can be milked in the field and dairy products can be sold
in booths along the pavement inside the field. To deal with liquid
waste, three programs are developed. The first one is rain gardens
along Assi Nala to filtrate runoff water before it goes into Ganga.
The second one is filtration pool and underground storm water
harvesting pool. Rain and floodwater would be filtrated and stored
in reservoir for local use. The third one is bathing pool for holy dip.

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 Domestic sewage flows into River Ganga through Assi Nala. A rain
garden is proposed for filtration where the Nala meets the Ganga.
Native plants would be planted for absorbing pollutants and filtrating
the waste. Besides, the rain garden is able to enhance water
retention ability to prevent this area from flooding during a storm.

Less than eight percent of the ghat is under shade at the noon of
June 1st and the average temperature in summer can be up to 38
degrees Celsius. More shade devices are required and portable
structures made by bamboo and heavy canvas cloth are proposed
in addition to planting more trees. From the abundant sunshine,
solar energy can be harvested by solar panel and transformed into
electricity to be used in boat engines, cell phone charging station,
restrooms and changing rooms as well as nearby residences.

The existing parking space at Assi Ghat is inadequate. It is

extended by demolishing a few old buildings in poor condition. One
way streets are proposed to regulate traffic. Autorickshaws
powered by solar power will be parked separately from buses and
cars and a charging station is proposed. A tourist center with a
gallery on culture and history of Varanasi and an interpretation
center for international tourists and medical emergency aid is
designed. The structure is made from bamboo and covered with
a canvas cloth. Bamboo and wood structures are ecofriendly and
easily replaceable if damaged in floods. The soaring roof of the
tourist center will make it a landmark easily identified by visitors.

4
Design Grammar

Architecture Grammar Spatial Grammar

5
Spatial Practice

6
Flooding and Rain Garden

Water Maps

Section 1-1 1cm=10m

Section 2.2 1cm=10m

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Waste and Sun

8
Buffalo Field

Plan

Section

9
Entrance
Interpretation Center

Flow

Plan
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Site Plan

1. Interpretation Center
2. Parking Lots
3. Bathing Tank
4. Floating Dock
5. Sedimentation
6. Terraced garden
7. Tent Campus
8. Craft Market
9. Buffalo Field
10. Catwalk
11. Biodigester
12. Solar Panels
13. Assi Nala
14. Rain gardens

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 Zoning Flow Bamboo Structure

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Dashashwamedh Ghat
This popular ghat is accessible from the city center-Godowlia
Crossing-and attracts a large number of visitors. The road leaving
to the ghat divides itself on either side of a vegetable market and
ends into steep steps. The ghat was originally at the confluence of
Godowlia Nala (now paved by the road) and Ganga. The southern
part is the old Dashashwamedh ghat and has the shrines to
goddess Sheetala, Dashashwamedheshwara and
Dashahareshwara. The northern part is known as Prayag ghat,
alluding to the original Prayag at the confluence of three sacred
rivers – Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. It has the
shrines of Shulatankeshwara as well as Ganga. Adjacent to it are
Rajendra Prasad ghat, named after the first president of India.
Beyond that is the Man Mandir ghat with the magnificent palace
built by Man Singh of Amber, Rajasthan in 1585-1605 CE. On its
roof is the famous astronomical observatory built by Sawai Jai
Singh in 1710 CE and now a protected ASI monument.

The visual culture of Dashashwamedh Ghat is rich with a variety

of architectural forms and religious iconography. Color, textures,
spires, fenestration, steps, platforms, boats, among other elements,
are repeated at irregular intervals and form the unifying element in
a very complex visual structure. The iconic image of the ghats is
today threatened with visual clutter from encroachments and
billboards resulting in loss of aesthetic value. In mapping
architectural grammar six basic elements---cube, cylinder, cuboid,
triangle, semi-circle and trapezoid—were identified. The ghat
buildings have these elements in different combinations. There are
four kinds of spaces--closed, close-open-close, semi-open-close,
and semi-open. Historic buildings using the traditional architectural
grammar have close-open -close spatial structure.

Dashashwamedh ghat is very famous because of aarti

performance every evening that bring a large number of visitors.
The street leading to the ghat is very congested with people,
animals, and vehicles. It is divided into a bustling commercial street
and vegetable markets. Traffic jams occur often because of the
narrowness of the street, vendors, and animals. The most
important event in Dashashwamedh ghat is the evening aarti
bringing a large number of visitors. Visitors view the aarti, from
steps, balconies and terraces, and from boats.

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 At other times in the day, people are praying, getting massages,
shaving, trimming, preaching, selling, sleeping, resting, cleaning,
and bathing. Dashashwamedh Ghat gets a lot of sunshine and there
no shade structures on the landings and steps. The solar energy
can be harvested by solar panels and transformed into electricity
for emergency lighting and other purposes. The Ganga is flooding
more often because of deforestation upstream and constriction in
its flow locally caused by silt deposition on the east bank. The ghat
is flooded during the monsoons.

It is not uncommon to stumble into rotting piles of offerings. Some

of this waste finds its way into the Ganga, littering the shoreline.
The waste from temples and shops, by local residents and tourists
can be classified into three kinds: garbage, ritual offerings, and cow
dung. A cycle for recyclable waste is developed according to the
types of waste and location of waste sources. Flowers and leaves
used in aarti performance can feed cattle and be composted.
Plastics and paper should be recycled.

The goal of the design is to organize the public space of the ghat
into the fruit market and sculpture square. The original wedge-
shaped space at the fork in the street is transformed. The original
motorcycle parking lot is redesigned into a bazaar and a leisure
square. The area closer to the ghats is transformed into a food
plaza, with a few illegal encroachments demolished. Along the
street shade corridors are designed with local traditional materials
such as jute and bamboo. To bring greenery into the ghat, a vertical
garden is designed using hydroponics. The umbrella gallery on the
ghat can also be made with jute and bamboo. To increase
accessibility, a ramp is designed at the north entrance. Floating
platforms are designed to increase the audience space during the
aarti performace.

14
Design Grammar

15

15
Spatial Practice

16
Activity Mapping

Morning Evening

17
Sun, Water and Waste

18
Green Walls in Man Mandir Ghat

Farmer’s Market

Bazaar

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Site Design
Legends:
1. Streetscape of Dashashwamedh
2. Fruit Booth
3. Sculpture Plaza
4. Landmark
5. Sunshade
6. Plants pool
7. Leisure Plaza
8. Bazaar
4
9. Food Plaza
10. Strampe
11. Vertical Garden
12. Umbrella Gallery
13. Docks
2
3
14. Floating Platform 1
15. No-boundary Clean Tank for Bath
16. Underground Parking Lot
17. Temple
18. Sewage Treatment Plant 5
19. Lookout

8
16
9

18
17 10
11

19

12
15
14
13

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Manikarnika Ghat Manikarnika Ghat is the oldest ghat on the Ganga. It is especially
sacred because it is the meeting point of Shiva and Vishnu
traditions. It is the beginning and end point of the panchkroshi
parikrama, the symbolic circumambulation of the universe. The
ghat is the great cremation ground where all who die will be
guaranteed moksha. Shiva is eternally present here and whispers
the taraka mantra in the ears of the dying. The formal language of
this ghat can be read in iconic riverfront image. The diverse spaces
of niches, bastions, and aedicules are articulated by activities
performed every day. The layering of spires and jharokhas of
temples and palaces, and riverfront platform adds to the visual
complexity. Built to adapt to the highly changeable water levels of
the Ganga, the ghat has been continuously remolded by spatial
practices. The cremation ground has a relatively high elevation, and
only the 100-year flood can fully inundate it. During the monsoon
season cremation is shifted from the lower flood plain to the higher
terraces.

Manikarnika Ghat is popularly known as the ‘burning ghat’ because

of its cremation pyres. The dead are carried to the ghat through a
narrow alley accompanied by a group of mourners for a dip in the
Ganga. The air is thick with smoke and ashes from the burning
logs, and the surrounding buildings are covered with soot. The
dominant wind direction here is from west to east, which blows
most of the ashes, dust, and smoke produced by cremation to the
Ganga River. The temperature may reach 60 Celsius degree under
the scorching June sun.

After the cremation, ashes are collected, and relatives of the

deceased will have their heads shaven and will take a bath to
remove the pollution of death. The cremation route looks like a
pumping heart from above symbolizing the cycle of life and death,
and the energy exchange between this world and the eternal Ganga.
The mourners are the protagonists in the cremation scene, while
the residents, tourists, and pilgrims are the audience of this death
drama. The land use pattern is chaotic and confusing. Log
storage, vehicle parking, and docking boats carrying the logs take
up most of the open space of this ghat. It is too congested to offer
any breathing space, reinforcing the gloomy atmosphere. Cows,
goats, and dogs wander everywhere, and tourists can walk
wherever they want, undermining the solemnity and sense of
privacy of the cremation practice. However, the disorganized small
commercial zones of tea stalls and vending shops dotting this sad
ghat energize it with public life.

21
 Although Manikarnika Ghat is sacred, it is unhygienic. Surface
drainage of waste water pollutes the Ganga. Solid waste—plastic
bottles, bamboo, flowers, dung, and ash—also finds its way in to
the Ganga. The abundant waste may be considered a resource.
New cycles of waste treatment are proposed, including community
education in the waste recycle workshops and vending units, thus
improving the economy for the floating population living around this
ghat. Women and children can become wastepickers,
reprocessors, and traders. Organic waste composting can produce
biogas or methane, which can be used in cremation. The proposed
burning stoves fueled by biogas in the cremation platforms are
supplemented with ritual wooden logs for burning,

Manikarnika Ghat is reclaimed with organized movement patterns,

reduced congestion and pollution, more open spaces, and privacy
for the cremation practice. Through design interventions, waste
becomes a resource, air is cleaned, and the local economy is
improved. The entering alley is for pedestrian only, and retaining
walls and cow-catchers will prevent animals from entering the
cremation ground. Mourners are guided by processional gates
to the ghat, and will be able to register, buy logs, and wait for the
cremation. The deceased will be cremated on individual burning
platforms rather than be crowded together on the silt bed.
Lotus-shaped filtration screens will reduce air pollution and
collect ashes, while also providing a sense of privacy and make the
mourners feel comfortable when they are watching their beloved
ones being cremated. The screens are made of nonflammable
translucent material. Lotus is the shared symbol of Lord Vishnu and
Lord Shiva, who sustain life and conquer death.

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Design Grammar

Skyline

Formal Language

23
Cremation

24
Flows
Residents and Domestic Pilgrims Cattle

Tourists Cremation

25
Air and Water Pollution

26
Ganga level

100-year flood

Danger

Dry season/normal

A A’ B B’

27
Site Design

28
Energy Flows and Waste Cycle

29
 Lotus Filtration Screen
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Panchganga Ghat Panchganga, as the name suggests in Hindi, means the confluence
of five forms of Ganga at one place. Panchganga Ghat celebrates
this confluence and is a lively public space. The confluence of
rivers namely Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kirna and Dhutpapa,
extends to a confluence in culture, heritage and music as well.
There is the magnificent Dharhara Mosque angled to the edge of
the ghat, and across a plaza is the rebuilt Bindu Madhav temple, a
popular temple of Lord Vishnu. The mosque stands at the site of
the original temple demolished by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Panchganga has a rich musical and literary heritage encompassed
in the works and life of Saint Kabir, the famous poet and his
teacher Saint Ramananda. In the present century, Panchganga
Ghat is associated with the late Ustaad Bismillah Khan, the famous
Shehnai player who performed in Balaji palace.

The design grammar of Panchganga Ghat is an interesting mix of

various architectural elements--ranging from temple spires to
domical mosque roof along with minarets. Typical cube like
aedicules are situated in tiers at the edge of the steps. They house
shrines for the most part with a few being merely storage spaces.
Octagonal platforms, bastions, and colonnades are other
permanent structures. The ghat also has bamboo poles used for
holding oil lamps during the auspicious full moon night of Kartik
Poornima.The spatial grammar is constituted by varying volume of
spaces. The open spaces at the edge of steps narrow down and
become compact as one moves towards the streets on the
dramatically steep steps. These characteristics render a unique
visual and spatial quality to Panchganga Ghat.

Panchganga ghat can be divided into different zones depending

upon the type of built structures and open spaces. The temples, the
historic palaces and the residential buildings form the built fabric.
The spatial practices of residents, visitors and animals on the ghats
articulate the design grammar. The movements by the people and
animals mark the areas that are concentrated with different day
to day as well as special activities. The daily activities consist of
bathing, worshipping, vending as well as relaxing and other leisure
activities. Throughout the day, these activities are carried out by
varying number of residents and visitors. The interesting
characteristic of these activities is that there is a large range of
postures and gestures. The postures vary but they have a general
repeating pattern. The study of spatial practices defines the
significant areas and spaces that carry a potential to be developed
in a sustainable way allowing orderly flow of the people on the ghat.

31
 The stray cows and those owned by local residents roam freely
on the ghat littering it with dung. There is also the organic kitchen
waste from residents’ households. Residents and visitors produce
waste in the form of wrappers, plastic bags, leaves, and flowers.
On the proposed heritage trail, waste should be disposed of
properly so that it does not become a hindrance when people walk
especially through narrow alleys and stairways. The proposed
waste management system consists of portable trash bins with
outer shells that can be painted whereas the inside plastic
container can be easily lifted upon and settled back into the
dustbin. The outer cover of the trash bin can be painted by local
talented artists and the inner container is made of lightweight
plastic. The bins are located where waste is generated. They can
be moved on the ghat as they have wheels and the biodegradable
refuse collected in them can be dumped into the compost tumbler.
The idea is to collect organic waste that can be composted and
used in the proposed silt garden. In the site plan heritage buildings
and temples are connected with a heritage trail. Deployable and
foldable structures at the entry plaza, haat and the kund can be
used for activities and performances and foster community
practices. Changing rooms are proposed on the aedicules at the
edge of the ghat Along the stairways murals depicting the myths
and legends can be displayed. The roof of Balaji Palace can be
used for recreation, music performances as well as for viewing the
Ganga aarti. A garden is designed on the edge of steps where large
amounts of silt are deposited currently. It is planted water lotuses,
lilies and Nymphodus Krishnakesara that add color.

The heritage trail enhances the fading music culture of the

Panchganga ghat. It is designed to take the visitors on a walk
through the lanes and riverfront connecting palaces, temples and
other historic buildings as well as performative spaces, kund, and
exhibits.The trail begins at the entry plaza near Balaji Palace leading
to Balaji temple and further to Kangan Mahal, Dharhara Mosque
and other landmarks. The journey opens up at a Haat near the plaza
between the mosque and Bindu Madhav temple. It further moves
through a sequence of other temples and lead to the
proposed kund, a bathing tank for residents and visitors to bathe in
clean water. It has five streams of water flowing towards Ganga as
a symbolic representation of the confluence of five holy rivers. The
landing above the kund has lightweight bamboo structures where
performances of classical music create the perfect ambience for
visitors to feel captivated with the aura of majestic Ganga. Further
down the trail, the visitor is introduced to the life of Saint Kabir
through murals depicting scenes from his life. The final destination
of the trail is the daily Aarti performance to worship Ganga. The
foldable bamboo structures used as changing rooms and
performative spaces can be relocated once the water level rises.

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Design Grammar

Domical Temple Aedicule Temple Spire

Hazara Minarets and Domes Octagonal Platform

Portal Bastion Jharokha

33
Spatial Practice

Morning

Afternoon

Evening

34
Waste

Residents’ Movement
Visitor’s Movement

Human Waste Animal Waste

Waste by Animal defacataion

Domestic kitchen waste

Waste by Visitors throwing trash

Waste by offering flowers for prayer

Portable Trash cans 35

Water and Sun

Energy Cycle
36
Deployable Structure

37
Changing Rooms Tea Stall

Musicians’ Gallery
38
Solar Lights on Aakashdeep Wall Murals

Panchganga Kund Silt Garden

39
Site Design

Silt Garden

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Adi Keshav Ghat Raj Ghat plateau lies on the northern most end of Varanasi ghats at
the confluence of Varuna River and the holy river Ganga. The ghat
stretch in Rajghat plateau consists of three ghats—Prahlad Ghat,
Rajghat also known as Ravidas Ghat, and Adi-keshav Ghat. Adi-
keshav Ghat is one of the five most auspicious of Varanasi ghats. In
addition, the Rajghat plateau consists of important landmarks such
as Malviya Bridge, Kashi Railway Station, and the
Archaeological Park. Since it lies in the outward curve of the river-
bank, it is more prone to erosion. Silt deposition has always been a
problem throughout the ghat. The confluence of Varuna River and
Ganga River to the north also makes it susceptible to floods,
submerging large areas under water, thereby making it inaccessible
during monsoon. Unlike other ghats in southern stretch, Raj ghat
plateau is sparsely settled. While Prahlad ghat is densely populated,
it lacks any daily event that would attract tourists or even locals
from the inner core of the city to the riverbank. There are local
household activities such as washing clothes and drying on the
steps, daily bathing, bathing animals, children playing, and chatting
people. Probably because of less number of people on the bank,
very few tea stalls and vendors are present. The largest flow of
people is through Malviya Bridge for traveling to and from
Ramnagar on the east bank of river. The Rajghat plateau has
distinct architectural grammar such as chattri, decorated balcony,
and columns of Rani Mahal but at the same time it incorporates
typical elements of the ghat stretch with the presence of marhi
(platfoms) and aedicules along the steps on the bank.

The squatter settlement and other neighborhoods in the vicinity

have been producing waste directly disposed into the river. This
has caused pollution of the holy Ganga to such an extent that
bathing in the river is now unhygienic. The waste includes flower
garland, wood, vegetables, cow dung, and agricultural produces,
all of which are bio-degradable. However, other waste products
like oil from burning lamps, plastic bottles, detergents and soap,
and pesticides are non-biodegradable and have a negative impact
on the river ecology. In addition to these waste products, the major
problem is open-air excreta from humans and animals, creating an
unhealthy environment and discouraging tourists who could have
otherwise entered the ghats from Kashi Railway Station. Similarly,
wastewater from the inner city flows into the river, increasing
Ganga’s pollution.

Each ghat in Rajghat plateau has its own specific and distinct
problems that need special consideration and call for a distinct
design strategy. Prahlad Ghat for instance, has dense settlement
already established through buildings that cannot be removed. Thus
the design intervention for Prahlad Ghat is to provide one eco-
toilet for ten families. The eco-toilet consists of changing rooms
and toilets situated close to the bathing tanks.
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 The bathing tank is fed with water from the Ganga after undergoing filtration so
that people in the community are able to bathe in hygienic and clean water. The
water for toilet is collected through rainwater harvesting and distributed through
gravity by positioning tanks at the roof of each unit. The human waste produced
from the toilet is collected in a mixing tank, directed to the bio-digester. The
methane gas produced thereby is distributed to the community as cooking gas
and the slurry extracted from the bio-digester is then directed to the bio-fertilizer.
The fertilizer is utilized in the community garden producing fresh vegetable. Thus,
the proposal is to create a healthy community through proper hygiene and organic
food consumption.

The area of Rajghat under Malviya Bridge is designed as a threshold for entering
the riverfront. The entrance plaza consists of a parking lot, welcome garden,
tourist/ information center, and open-air exhibition area with connection to the
Archaeological Park. The mustard field extends into year-round farming utilizing
fertilizers extracted from the bio-digester. Hence, the use of pesticides from farm-
land flowing into the river is mitigated. Streetlights, boat maintenance dock and
charging stations are some of the other facilities.

The pastoral landscape and the sparse settlement at Adi-Keshav Ghat are an
opportunity to create an ashram, an ancient learning center that would attract
students from all over the world to study Vedic texts. The ashram consists of a
two-storied building, a front courtyard, a rear courtyard, and other amenities. In
the courtyard and the open colonnade at the ground floor students learn, study,
chant, and do daily rituals. During festivals when there is high flow of pilgrims,
the upper story provides pilgrim lodging. The front courtyard faces Ganga, and
incorporates activities such as bhajan-kirtan (ritual singings), ritual dances, yoga,
kushti (wrestling), chanting of mantras, and other activities. The rear courtyard is
a tranquil zone with ample trees where one can seat and meditate. This landscape
is conducive to gaining enlightenment, either through conversations or by
detaching self from everyone. The ashram revives the ancient learning traditions
associated with Varanasi.

The amenities include eco –toilets, washing and bathing tanks utilizing water from
Ganga after purification. While in monsoon getting water from Ganga would not
be a problem, in dry season when the water level of the river itself drops down,
water stored in the tank underneath the front courtyard is utilized for washing, and
cleaning. Additionally, solar energy and biogas will help in sustaining the ashram
community. Trees are planted on the bank to hold up the soil and prevent erosion.
In addition to strengthening the bank, trees (Fiscus religiosa) provide shade and
become social spaces. The eco-toilet preventing direct disposal of human
excreta to the river, bio-retention basin for water filtration before it reaches the
river, mustard farm that remediates chemical from the rail-yard, bio-fertilizer
replacing chemical fertilizers, solar energy, rainwater harvesting, vegetation on the
bank, attenuate direct pollution to the Ganga, revive the river ecology, and
encourage a healthy and sustainable community to flourish.

42
 10

8 9
6
7

5
4
3

2
1

Location

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10
Views

Panoramic View
43
Land Use

Activity Mapping Design Grammar

44
Waste Map Flood Map

Waste Water Map

45
Energy Cycle

46
Site Design

47
48
Conclusion

As funding becomes available through initiatives such as HRIDAY

(Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna) for urban
development and infrastructure improvement, Namami Ganga
Programme under the National Mission for Clean Ganga, and
Kyoto-Varanasi Partner City Agreement for making Varanasi a
‘smart heritage city’, it is imperative that the ghats be reclaimed and
restored not in an ad hoc way but through comprehensive
planning and managment. This will be especially useful in
nominating Varanasi Ghats for the Tentative List of UNESCO World
Heritage Sites. Our earlier report Ghats of Varanasi on the Ganga in
India (2014) proposed site plans for the entire stretch of ghats
aiming to increase legibility, performativity, health, and resilience.
This report builds on the previous project by outlining detailed
design proposals for the panch tirthas—Assi, Dashashwamedh,
Manikarnika, Panchganga and Adi Keshav. The sustainable model
for landscape management can be first implemented in them
setting a precedent for reclamation of other ghats.

The resilience of Varanasi and its ghats in face of cultural upheavals

has been proved time and again. Climate change and
unprecedented levels of pollution however may cause irreparable
damage to heritage. Sustainability is the key to landscape
management especially when the cultural landscape embodies
heritage of the kind Varanasi Ghats do. Heritage is for future
generations, and its sustenance is tied to planning policies and
design interventions that can be effectively implemented using local
energies and resources. Sustainable heritage management entails
that planning be contingent upon the impact of climate change on
Ganga’s flow. It should aim for a resilient landscape, one can that
recover from flood events that are recurring with increasing
frequency. Making Varanasi a ‘smart heritage city’ entails that its
most iconic landscape, the Ganga Riverfront, be managed by using
a systems approach. Water, sun, flora and fauna have tremendous
symbolic value in traditional thought and ritual practices. Each
natural element is integrated in complex systems of ecological and
cultural processes. These self-organized systems should be
managed to produce renewable energy, treat waste as a resource,
and promote heritage interpretation.

49
 References

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Institutions, Technologies and Governance”, Tekton, vol. 3, no. 1,
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Doron, Assa, Richard Barz, and Barbara Nelson (eds.) An Antholo-

gy of Writings on the Ganga: Goddess and River in History, Culture,
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Eck, Diana. Banaras City of Light. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 1993.

Gutschow, Niels. “The Panchkroshi Temple.” Banaras: The City

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Singh, Rana P.B. “Varanasi Cosmic Order and Cityscape: Sun Im-
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Singh, Rana P.B. and Pravin Rana. Banaras Region: A Spiritual and
Cultural Guide. Varanasi: Indica Books, 2006.

Tiwari, Reena. Space-Body-Ritual: Performativity in the City. Lan-

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50
Department of Landscape Architecture, Dr. B N College of Architecture for Women,
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, New BNCA campus
USA Faculty
Professor Shubhada Kamalapurkar
Faculty
Professor Sandhya Nivsarkar
Professor Amita Sinha
Students
Students
Fourth Year B.Arch
Saloni Chawla
Aarati Deshpande
Yini Chen
Rajnandini Kolte
Mamata Guragain
Raveena Mothghare
Fang Shao
Revati Tongaonkar
Wanhui Zuo
Shivani Natu
Shraddha Kemse
Simran Kaur
Tanvi Dubbewar

Third Year B.Arch

Minisha Khandelwal
Pavitra Bhaskaran
Pooja Sharma
Riddhi Bhootda
Ritika Mantri
Saavni Patil
Soumya agarwal
Tanvi Lapalikar
Yamini Patil

Fifth Year B. Arch

Aishwarya Deshmukh
Lavisha Borana
Nikita Jain
Acknowledgements

Ajay Ratan Bannerjee

Chandra Prakash Chawla
Divay Gupta
Rajat Malhotra
Rana P.B.Singh
Shikhar Singh
Shyamlal Singh

The project was partially funded by the Wadsworth Grant,

Department of Landscape Architecture. Graphic Design by Saloni Chawla
51
2016 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, USA