It contains detailed study of human settlements in Varanasi

1. VARANASI
SUB : Human Settlements
18121AA027
P. NIRANJAN

2. Location and Linkage :
Varansi , also known as Benares of Kashi, is a city on the banks
of river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh.

3. Varanasi is located 797 km from
Delhi, 320 km southeast of
Lucknow, 121 km east of
Allahabad.

4. Geography
• Varanasi is located at an elevation of 80.71 metres (264.8 ft) in the centre
of the Ganges valley of North India, in the Eastern part of the state of
Uttar Pradesh, along the left crescent-shaped bank of the Ganges,
averaging between 15 metres (50 ft) and 21 metres (70 ft) above the
river.
• Located in the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India, the land is very fertile
because low-level floods in the Ganges continually replenish the soil.
Varanasi is situated between the Ganges confluences with two rivers: the
Varuna and the Assi stream. The distance between the two confluences is
around 2 miles (4 km), and serves as a sacred journeying route for
Hindus, which culminates with a visit to a Sakshi Vinayak Temple.

5. climate
• Varanasi experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate
classification Cwa) with large variations between summer and winter
temperatures. The dry summer starts in April and lasts until June, followed
by the monsoon season from July to October. The temperature ranges
between 22 and 46 °C (72 and 115 °F) in the summers.
• Winters in Varanasi see very large diurnal variations, with warm days and
downright cold nights. Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause
temperatures to dip across the city in the winter from December to
February and temperatures below 5 °C (41 °F) are not uncommon. The
average annual rainfall is 1,110 mm (44 in). Fog is common in the winters,
while hot dry winds, called loo, blow in the summers.
• In recent years, the water level of the Ganges has decreased significantly;
upstream dams, unregulated water extraction, and dwindling glacial
sources due to global warming may be to blame.

6. Culture
• Importance of Banaras in India and especially for Hindus; various aspects of Banaras, its many names and what makes it the cultural capital of
India.
• Archaeology, Mythology, Geography, and History of Banaras- its unique situation on Ganges, and its journey through the history of India, and quest
to know what makes it oldest living city.
• Religious Varanasi- Many religions, place and types of worship, a religious place and institutions. You will find that even Primitive worship cults are
still practiced in this city. Discover the city of Buddha, Jain Tirthankars, Shaiva and Vaishnava saints or Devoted saints like Kabir and Tulsi.
• Arts, Crafts and Architecture of Banaras: You will be amused to see that Varanasi is a Museum architectural designs. It presents changing patterns
and movements in course of history. It has a rich and original variety of paintings and sculptor styles and equally rich treasures of folk art. During
the ages Varanasi has produced master craftsmen and Varanasi has earned name and fame for its Sarees, handicrafts, textiles, Toys, ornaments,
metal work, clay and wood work, leaf and fibre crafts. With ancient crafts, Banaras has not lagged behind in Modern Industries.
• Discover Ganga- the holiest of the holy river- its mythology, geography, socio- economic aspects, its monumental ghats and their story and the
present condition of pollution.
• The Capital of all knowledge- Discover the most ancient seat of education in India World the famous scholars and their `Shastrarthas’, the great
scholars, universities, college, schools, Madarsas and Pathshalas and Guru Shishya traditions, the epics, famous literary works, languages and
dialects, journalistic traditions- newspapers and magazine, and famous libraries.
• Discover the social and cultural fabric- Organisation of sacred complex and social spaces, the cultural pluristic, linguistic and ethnic groups. Discover
the city of affluence, intellectuals, oral traditions, castes and customs, personalities, professions, communal harmony . Discover the rural Varanasi.
And finally (and with deep insight) peep into, the pleasure of Pans, Thandai, Gamcha, Bahri Alang and Mauj Masti.

7. Political impacts
• the continual failures of Varanasi’s World Heritage nomination process are such a disappointment (cf. Singh,
2011a: 242-246). UNESCO’s plan is to create “peace in the minds of humans” (UNESCO 1945), a sense of “unity in
diversity” at these sites by revealing their universal and transcendent value (cf. Di Giovine, 2009, 2010, 2011). But the
process, politicized as it is, seems to devolve into factionalism and mistrust. On the one hand, they fear that the ways in
which the site is contextualized and various monuments (temples, ruins, and natural features) are valued will marginalize
some groups. On the other hand, the current and projected management and preservation plans seem to privilege
historic “monumentality” over living traditions at these sites, such as the Buddhist ruins at Sarnath and Muslim
mosques in Varanasi.
• Management plans that recommend charging blanket entrance fees, and which favouring secular tourism over
serious devotional pilgrimages, also create contestation and conflicts. Indeed, with the growth of global tourism
and a widespread interest in seeing culture in the mirror of history and tradition . Timothy and Olsen, 2006: 4),
religious heritage resource management becomes a critical issue in two primary ways: protection and maintenance of
sacred sites, and the survival and continuity of pilgrimage ceremonies that preserve centuries old human
interactions with the earth and its mystic powers (see Verschuuren, et al., 2010). Fostering a so-called rediscovery of
forgotten common cultural heritage and practices at sacred places that centered on reverence to and harmony
with the Earth as source and sustainer of life, a balanced conservation and management plan of such holy sites
would be a strong step in this direction. The recent events in which Varanasi’s mosaic of different pilgrims, locals, and
secular tourists maintained existential, normative, and ideological communitas in the face of divisive terrorist attempts
should be a testament for those preparing UNESCO’s nomination and management plan that such sacred sites have the
capacity to create “unity in diversity.” Varanasi is speaking; the nomination body simply has to recognize what it is
saying.

8. Activities on the Ghats :
• Due to high concentration of piligrims
and tourists the ghat area is highly
active and dynamic area.
• One can see lot of religious ,
traditional and commercial activities
on the Ghats. “Appropriation of
space”

10. Historical timeline :
❑ 2nd CENTURY BC: traditional core of the city is established.
• ❑ 10-11th CENTURY AD: period of golden age.
• ❑ 12th CENTURY AD: city is bought under rule of Muslim nawabs.
• ❑ 1585 AD: the traditional core is brought under Akbar's Mughal empire.
• ❑ 1725 AD : the kashiraj dynasty establishes ramnagar.
• ❑ 1775 AD: British gain political control over the city.
• ❑ 1794 AD: the cantonment is established.
• ❑ 1862 AD: the first railway link between Calcutta and Banaras is established.
• ❑ 1916 AD: Banaras Hindu University is established.
• ❑ 1950 AD : the first master plan for the city was prepared.
• ❑ 1974 AD: Varanasi Development Authority was formed.
• ❑ 1991 AD: "Draft Master Plan 2001" was prepared.

11. SPATIAL CHARACTERSTICS OF
THE TRADITIONAL CORE
The city's topography Consists of three
Mounds resembling lord Shiva's trishul.
These are recognized as three sacred cores.
• Areas located in the proximity of the river
assume greater social significance.

12. Spatial characterstics of the traditional core :

13. Physical growth of the city :

14. •SIGNIFICANT EVOLUTION FROM 1830-1880
❑ In the later half of the nineteenth century, the most significant
change is the -increase in the pakka mahal which rapidly encroached
upon the kachcha houses.
❑ Also all vacant spaces in the immediate neighborhood of the Ganga
were filled in by Pakka houses.
❑ The two ill-drained areas, formerly occupied by the Godaulia Nala
and the Misra Pokhra Mil in the south and the Maidagin and
Machhodari tank in the north disappeared.
❑ The site of the Maidagin tank gradually came to be replaced by the
Company garden, north of th present a center of the city. The
Machhodari tank was drained into the Ganga though an underground
channel.

16. RAM NAGAR
❑ Ramnagar was founded by the Kashiraj dynasty in 1752.
❑ It is located on the eastern bank of the river ganga.
❑ Ramnagar comprises a continuous linear edge of civic buildings enclosing an avenue.
❑ The built form is generally 2 to 3 stories high.
❑ The civic spine connect the fort at the western end to the city gate at the eastern end.

17. Ramnagar fort

18. COLONIAL SETTLEMENT
• The colonial settlement was located in proximity to river
varna, 4miles from the traditional core.
• The British had political control over Varanasi from 1775
until 1947.
• The settlement comprises of cantonment, a civil station
and administrative quarters.
• Each component of the colonial settlement was located
around an independent focus and comprised of a mix of
institutional and residential uses.
• The settlement has characteristic wide open spaces.
• The buildings are 1 to 2 stories high.

19. BENARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
• The university was founded in 1916
• It is located on the south western banks of the river ganga.
• It is defined by it's composite semi-circular pattern.
• The character is based on forms derived from western principles
and stylized by traditional Indian motifs. BHU Plan of the university.
University road Residential building in the university .

21. Evolution if the ghats
• There are presently 84 Ghats along
the edge of the river, but there are
five ghat (panchtirth)which are
considered most sacred among all
the Ghats. These include:
• Assi Ghat
• Dasashwamedh ghat
• Manikarnika ghat
• Panchganga ghat
• Adikeshav ghat Aarti at Assi ghat

22. SPATIAL CHARACTERSTICS OF THE COLONIAL
SETTLEMENT
• Location of the colonial settlement w.r.t the
traditional core Street networks in the
colonial settlement Factors affecting location:
• • Traditional core considered
"dangerous/unhygienic"
• • Less investment
• Proximity to river Factors resulting in
deformed street pattern:
• • Existing features
• • Topography
• • " Green villages " in London

23. CONTEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT
• The organization principles of the
contemporary settlements are
based on formalized zoning codes.
• • The buildings can be
distinguished from one another
on the basis of functional
differences.
• • The housing typologies range
from plotted and group housing
to squatters. Residential
development

24. THANK
YOU
P . NIRANJAN
18121AA027