ENHANCING THE HISTORICAL IDENTITIES

Abstract

India is a land of cultural diversity, offering various cultural landscapes and diverse heritage. These cultural landscapes have always adapted themselves to according to the needs of the people and the changing society. Culture has always affected the way in which the architecture interacts with the people, influencing the built fabric and making architecture a part of the heritage. The mutual relationship between the city and people is what forms the identity of the city- the tales, belief, culture, and the architecture become a component of it. Development and adaptation to the modern needs is necessary for any landscape to survive otherwise the people will lose the association with it and it will eventually fade away. But these adaptations are to be made keeping the integrity of the heritage intact while maintaining the continuity of the knowledge systems. The development should not affect the city in an adverse manner making it another plastic city. Orchha is a small historic town in Madhya Pradesh situated on the banks of river Betwa. It has a very rich religious importance locally and heritage significance nationally. Orchha was once the capital of the Bundela region. With forts forming the historic core on one side and the cenotaphs in the south, the Raja Ram Temple and the Chaturbhuj temple form the sacred core. It has been recently added into the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites and will soon attract a lot of tourists and pilgrims. The thesis aims at enhance the historical identity of the city of Orchha through the process of conservation so that it complements the contemporary world. Promoting the interaction between the locals, pilgrims and the tourists in a heritage precinct while maintaining the identity of the city.