Abstract:
India's urban environment is known for its vibrant continuity and
interconnectedness of people and places. As a result, the spatial systems of old
Indian cities are often the product of the city's cultural traits. But cities being living
entities, which transforms rapidly with the course of time and influence the
societies. Due to such changing social structure, many features have been faded
out. People or communities might get disconnected from the urban environment as
a result of such.
Thus, the notion of collective memory in the Indian cities are affected. The extent
to which this memory is used has a significant impact on the way cities grow. The
effects of such collective memory can be the missing link causing the infrequent
urban interactions. This have triggered significant changes in terms of physical
surroundings, activities, and place experiences.
Thus the aim of this Postgraduate thesis is to contribute for a better understanding
of the urban memory’s impact on urban life and, its contribution to the conservation
of societies in the traditional urban neighborhoods. This could be understood
through series of investigative analysis by comparing the spaces developed
through cultural appreciation and its present urban scenario. For this purpose, we
will explore and examine these cultural traits of the temple town of Kumbakonam.
The town has been subjected to rising urbanization pressures in recent decades,
with little consideration for the historical qualities of the urban architectural heritage.
The town is transforming its shape both socially and spatially in various traits which
has a greater impact on its identity and collective memory.
There is a greater shift in the people’s mental image of the town from traditional to
a contemporary. This is due to the influence of transformation in the opportunities,
lifestyle, activity pattern and utilization of public spaces. Preservation of such
collective memory could add value to Urban areas thereby to support a sustainable
way of transformation, which is much needed in the present scenario. Thus the intend of this thesis is to reinvigorate the past reminiscence of the
traditional core of Kumbakonam, by determining the relationship between peopleand urban spaces, also the dynamics of social life that affects the unique spatial
arrangements of the town. It also aids in evaluating the functionality of key urban
spaces and appropriate interventions to it
