10/11 Jati Yatra: The Path of Community Development
Fig 3.14 Chassiya Talao embankment
Site Design Design interventions can be made to improve the community infrastructure and facilitate visitor movement through the site at the base of Pavagadh Hill, at Machi Plateau and along the pilgrim path from Machi to Mauliya Plateau. Currently access to the site is from the highway that runs between the Royal Enclosure and Pavagadh Hill. A bypass is proposed that will divert non-local traffic from the site, sending most of the traffic to north of the city. The extant roadway can then be redesigned as a ‘medieval pathway’, reducing the width of the vehicular lane, creating a pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare, and replacing the first ten meters of paving at each entry gate with traditional paving materials. On the northern side of the road, the ASI fence can be removed and replaced by a shallow swale, lined by a shaded narrow walkway, that will collect waste water runoff from the road and Royal Enclosure, channeling it to a public orchard on the east. On the south side a shaded and broad walkway can lead to the proposed main Pilgrim Center, located opposite the South Bhadra Gate of the Royal Enclosure and where the pilgrim path starts ascending. This will have a vendor’s plaza, parking lot, festival grounds and various amenities including rest rooms, information and first aid center, gift shop and restaurant. Residents of the main street in Champaner village should be eligible for loans to add storefronts to the façade of their houses, unifying the streetscape and activating the local economy. Out-of-town tourists could buy locally crafted objects and snacks
here. A vacant and rundown dharamshala should be restored as a community center and the open area in front of it developed as a farmer’s market for buying and selling fresh food for local residents. For the visitor, an interpretation center for historic Champaner is proposed north of Jami Masjid. Nearby will be the community agricultural cooperative for growing flowers and fruits for worship. Storm water runoff from the settlement inside the Royal Enclosure should be collected and diverted to the existing openings in the Fort Wall and then conveyed through channels for absorption into the orchard and agricultural co-operative. A community water facility is proposed with public restrooms for men and women with leech pits for waste treatment, bathrooms and washing area with water draining to fields/gardens. Wastewater is to be separated from sewage, resulting in a more economical and sustainable solution as compared with carrying waste over long distance to a centralized treatment plant. The proposed design interventions at Machi Plateau aim at clarifying it as a major junction for pilgrims as they prepare to climb to the top of the Hill for Kalika Mata darshan. The parking area for buses, van, cars, jeeps, scooters, and motorcycles should be relocated west of Champaner Hotel. This will reduce congestion at this node on the pilgrim path, and make the improved vehicular drop-off and pedestrian circulation patterns more legible. A pilgrim welcome center is proposed next to the historic Machi Haveli wall with gallery/exhibition space, giftshop
or bookstore, public telephones, information kiosk, and a first aid station. The two water bodies—Teliya and Annapurna Talao—should be developed as major attractions. Along Teliya Talao, the ghats can be extended with picnic and resting areas designed on the southwest. At Annapurna Talao a bird sanctuary is proposed for attracting visitors to the site by converting the mostly empty water body into a marsh planted with native (and thus sustainable) species. The talao will retain its flood storage functions. A small information kiosk and a couple of observation decks for the visitors are suggested. Presently the water channel connecting the two Talaos is strewn with garbage and is not easily visible. To educate the visitor about the water management at the site, such as the way Teliya collects the excess water from Annapurna, we propose that the channel be desilted, cleaned up and lined with a boardwalk that leads to a trail on the pilgrim path. These interventions will clarify and organize visitor circulation and will draw attention to the historic and environmental aspects of the site. Vending on the pilgrim path between the Machi and Mauliya Plateaus should be organized and aided by a building program that leases flexible and lightweight vending units to the vendors every year when they move to the site to engage in commerce with the
pilgrim traffic. A modular and cheap vending unit is proposed using local building materials and construction techniques. A variety of structures can be created by using combinations of the basic triangular bamboo frame. The frames can be simply connected with rope or plastic zip ties and covered with locally available material depending on the intended use. The smallest unit is for selling water only, but with additional wings the unit can include storage space. Larger units can function as residential shops with a limited amount of living space. The units should be raised above the ground for free movement of air and water and separated from each other for ventilation.
Fig 3.15 View of Chassiya Talao