Designing Bhubaneswar: The geographical space #Ep-3

Old town satellite map

The Old Town Area: The old town area dates back to the 6^th century when the biggest temple in Bhubaneswar now, i.e. The Lingaraj Temple was getting its initial shapes. During those days people mostly worshiped Lord Shiva. By the time the temple was fully constructed around the late 11^th century, Lord Jagannath Sect had been growing in Kalinga which eventually evidenced the coexistence of Shiva and Vishnu at the temple. Back then it was the reign of Jajati Keshari of Keshari Dynasty who shifted the capital from Jajpur to Ekamra Kshetra (Temple city), the ancient name of Bhubaneswar.

Shiva Temples

 The name Bhubaneswar falls from the fact that, Shiva’s other name was “Tribhubaneswara” or “Bhubaneswara” and since the Ekamra Kshetra was surrounded by the temples of Shiva, it was attracting more people to gather, trade and live surrounding these temples eventually forming a town called Bhubaneswar. After independence, Jawahar Lal Nehru led the foundation and shifted the Capital of Odisha from Cuttack to Bhubaneswar around 1948.

The old town area is a congested area nowadays. The poor architecture and infrastructure literally justify its name. The narrow gullies make it hard for modern transportation to explore the area. Colonies like the Lingaraj colony, the Rajarani colony, Pandav Nagar, Brahmeshwar bagh, Bhimatangi, Gauri Nagar, etc. conglomerate to form a densely populated region enveloped in a small area.

But the historical importance of pure Kalinga architecture attracts many tourists from national and even international lands to visit this place and admire the ancient wonders of the past. Apart from Lingaraj temple, Mukteshwar temple, Rajarani temple, Parsuramesar temple, Astasambhu temple, Nageshwar temple, Megheswar temple, Yameshwar temple, Lakheswar temple and many more are the landmarks of exquisite architecture situated in this tract.

Ekamra Kshetra, the old Bhubaneswar Zone being the central part of BDPA is defined as a Socio-Cultural hub and plans are being made to preserve and restore the culturally impactful heritage of the city. The housing space is pretty congested as it was the first area to get crowded after the foundation of the city. Thus, not much planning or designing is required but the maintenance prospectus will play a vital role in the coming future.

Waterways

As per the Comprehensive Developmental Plan (CDP) 2030 for Bhubaneswar Development Plan area (BDPA), a brief report by architectural division, IIT Kgp, an attempt to revive the historical navigation is going to take place stretching from Sribantapur-Sisupal-Ekamra Kshetra. Previously the Gangua nallah was used as a mode of navigation as well as transportation (Inland Waterways) which with time and urbanization vanished. Efforts are being made under the garland lake system, one of the seven corridors proposed in the report emphasizing building a series of lakes alongside Gangua Nallah which may restore the lost historical essence.

  

The next episode will continue with the planned city (the new town area), a brief description of the geography and related conjuncts. It will be followed with possible developmental areas, some salient features included in the city developmental plan of 2030 report, geographical area at a glance. 

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