OCT 2022
Bhubaneshwar Prototype History
Disclaimer : I am currently travelling and am not able to access my photoshop images relating this article, nor my notes with the sources of this article, to be added soon.
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Bhubaneshwar is the capital of Odisha, situated 50km from the Eastern Coast of India. Together with its twin city, Cuttack, it holds a population of 1,3 million residents, which makes it the 60th biggest city of India. It is one of the 3 first planned cities in the country, designed by Otto Konigsberger in 1946. Home to over 700 temples at one point, it is also a heritage treasure. Bhubaneshwar was once dubbed as ‘the temple city of India’, however, I would prefer to call it the prototype city of India, today. Both the temples and the ‘modern’ city planning are proof of the century long experimentation and innovation.
History
The oldest ruins to be found in Bhubaneshwar today, Sisupalagada, date back to 7th BC. The Sisupalagada pillars are ruins from an ancient Kalinga fortification. The Kalinga ruled the area from 6th BC to 16th Century. Its capital Kalinganagara was situated in today Bhubaneswar and ‘Kalinga’ temple architecture originated here. In the 16th century Mughal rulers destroyed many temples. The Marathas in the mid 18th century made the city popular again as a site for pilgrimage, to be taken over by the Brits in 1803. They made Cuttack the capital of Odisha. Due to excessive issues with floods and the lack of opportunity for expansion, they gave the order to design a new planned city. After nearly eight centuries, Bhubaneshwar again became the site of experimentation/innovation as the new plan was designed in 1946. In 1949, two years after the Indian independence Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital of odisha.
Mukteswara temple
Temples
Most temples in Bhubaneswar were built between the 8th and 12th century under influence of the Shaivism Hindu domination. Shaivism worships the lord Shiva as the supreme god. At the same time, the Kalingas belonged to the Sakta domination. In shaktism, they worship the goddess, who is considered the shakti or energy of Shiva and Vishnu respectively. Shaktism is mostly known for tantra, hence we find many kama sutra images engraved in the Kalinga temples. Of the once estimated 1000 temples, around 320 are remaining today.
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Three types of ‘Deul’ or structures exist in Kalinga architecture: Rekha Deula, Pidha Deula, Khakhara Deula. The first Rekha Deula, the ‘main tower’, holds the ‘sanctum sanctorum’. The 2nd, Pidha deula, is a rectangle structure with a pyramid shape roof and functions as the assembly hall for devotees. The most iconic Pidha Deula is part of the Sun temple in Konark (13th BC). The Rekha Deula has collapsed somewhere between the 16th and 18th CE. The last type, Khakhara is less common, it serves for dancing or offerings. Its rectangle shape and oval roof reminds of the south Indian style temple.The only Khakara deula to be found in Bhubaneshwar is the Baitala Deula (8th CE).
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The most experimented structure is the rekha deula. One simple walk through old town will overload you with an array of structures, clearly showing evolutions in detail, material and size through the centuries. The oldest temple found today in Odisha is the Parsurameshwar temple (7th CE) and consists of this Rekha Deula and a Pidha Deula. Lingaraja (11th CE) is the most iconic Rekha Deula at 55 meters tall. The shape of the Rekha Deula refers to the lingam, an abstract representation of Shiva in Shaivism.
A new article will go deeper into Kalinga architecture and the meanings of Hindu architecture.
Sisupalagada Ruins
Konark Temple, Pidha Deul
Parsurameshwar temple with Rekha Deula and Pidha Deula
In 1946 a new plan for Bhubaneshwar was designed consisting of 6 units (neighbourhood blocks) for a total of 40 000 residents. The architect, Konigsberger, took inspiration from the existing Indian city and Bhubaneswar was meant to become a true overlap of heritage, efficiency and climate. The site was chosen due to its location on a slope, with hills in the west and a river in the east. This created a good opportunity for drainage and high velocity wind in the summer, sustaining a good climate. The original plan was designed North from the old temple town with sufficient space kept in between, however little effort was put into preserving each individual identity. By the 60s the town had reached its 40 000 resident capacity and the sprawl began. In the 70s city planners introduced sectors with multi storey buildings as an answer to the growing demand and lack of government owned land. Today, the city has sprawled in 7 dimensions and engulfed some of the adiencent villages. Little of the original planning can still be found. However the grid gave the city an equal opportunity for expansion. The city is equally accessible to everyone without the issue of the periphery, however traffic congestion is as much of an issue as elsewhere in india.
Baitala Deula, the only Khakara Deula in Bhubaneshwar
Original Honigsberer plan, source: ISVS e-journal, Vol.1, no.1
The original view of Konigsberger was to create a 10 minute walkable city. Every unit was provided with basic facilities. Every child should live a maximum of 500 meters removed from a school. Every housewife should have a civic centre within 800 meters walking. Seven types of streets were created from footpaths to ‘minor housing streets’ cull the sacs with low cost construction, to ‘main arteries’ with efficient construction based on load bearing calculations. The streets were at a minimum 9 meters wide to provide enough distance between houses. They also included wastewater management, storm drains… Every street was designed with a space of activity in mind. Empty spaces create opportunities for street vendors. Sprawling out the government buildings along Rajpath makes for an interesting walk. The market in unit 2 was purposely designed as a carefree square rather than the more popular shopping streets, avoiding obstruction or coalitions with traffic. Daily convenience shopping was done it one's own unit. The market created a place for healthy competition and supervision over the open space. It is a place for gathering and gives unit 2 its own identity. As such every unit had its own ‘speciality’ or identity.
Marketbuilding is designed like an Indian bazaar or temple. The building has clear references to temple architecture such as the facade, the trabeated structure, and the clocktower. The square is lifted with some steps to deny cars. The verandahs create a pleasant climate.
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Today a new plan was developped for Bhubaneshwar. as part of the SMART program for tier two cities in India. Midrise is becomming more predominant. Many bussy streets have converted into shopping streets. New ideas and plans are proposed.
A new article will go more into detail about the city panning and make the comparison with Chandigarh.