RELATIVE STUDY PROGRAM - VARANASI

The two places studied were from VARANASI & Pushkar.

The Varanasi study was done of the small narrow streets which open up to open wide ghats. The transition of the street to the ghat was something unique and interesting.

THE TRANSITION THROUGH THE STREET: SPATIAL STUDY OF THE STREET TO THE GHAT

The focus of the study is the transition through the narrow streets towards the expanse of the ghats. The narrow maze like streets of Varanasi are overwhelming as a person has to navigate through those streets to find their way. The streets have people setting up small shops on the plinths of the building which makes the space narrower at some places, new construction taking place which further takes up the space of the streets. The projection from the houses, overhangs of the window and the wires running from one house to another also enclose the street to create a tight environment around the people. The same space is occupied by dogs and cows, locals, their vehickes and tourists. And all these streets slowly leads to the vast ghats, which is a bit surprising because one doesn’t really expects such a narrow chaotic street to suddenly open up to the river. The narow streets of the old city of Varanasi have houses that are built closely to each other so that heat can’t be penetrated in the streets, and so the old architecture of the streets and houses have not changed till now.