Revitalization of traditional water harvesting structures

Abstract

Water infrastructure has always been an integral part of mainstream Architecture in India. These structures are magnificent, ingeniously conceived structures. The ambiguity of these water monuments is fascinating, they are sacred sites and places of worship. But, at the same time secular and catering to the needs of people. They are intrinsically nestled into socio – economic fabric. Traditional stepped tank was designed to serve as an interface for humans to connect with the divine, maintain ecological cycle by rainwater harvesting along with acting as a flood control system and provide essential services to the community. Apart from the sanctity attached to them, these ponds help in recharging ground water and played an important role in socio – religious aspects. Kalyani’s (Temple Tank) and Katte’s (Platform with Peepal tree and Serpent stones) are places for communal gathering they have social, cultural, ecological and recreational attributes. These community spaces are where people discover the value and benefits of public life, places for social activities and maturing of culture itself, they play a vital role in the social life of communities. They are the breathing spaces of the city, a shared resource in which experiences, values and collective memory are created. Culture is reflected in its built form and the activities performed and tradition is continued through the blending of spaces and people. Lakes, Kalyani’s, Open wells and Sluice gates are some of the interesting structures that form a part of Bengaluru’s rich cultural heritage with religious places, festivals, community activities and significant personalities from the city give the Kalyani’s a unique architecture, cultural and social significance. Urban Flooding and water crisis has been a recent phenomenon in all the major metropolitan cities of India. The issues concerning are standalone Kalyani’s have disappeared; Kalyani’s have become sites for dumping debris and garbage, Rapid Urbanization led to demolishing of these tanks and cut off the aquifers that fed the Kalyani’s, Indiscriminate borewell digging and encroachment has rendered these Kalyani’s useless. Reviving these water infrastructures will help in overcoming water crisis and also help in conserving the cultural traditions of Bengaluru and these structures will become an important cultural resource to the city.