banganga: the ‘whole’ as a ‘part’ in metropolitan mumbai

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Banganga: The ‘Whole’ as a‘Part’ in Metropolitan MumbaiHarshad BhatiaPublished online: 16 Jan 2014.

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Banganga: The 'Whole' as a 'Part' in Metropolitan Mumbai

HARSHAD BHATIA

Abstract

In a land, starved, populous, historic city like Mumbai (formerly Bombay), old areas are set within new surroundings and new areas serve old functions. Yet, old and new continue to coexist within this city. All are 'parts' of a larger 'whole' that makes up the metropolis.

A pressing issue in Mumbai is that its older parts are under continuous pressure from development in the wake of globalization. Their value to the city, and how the city can value such enclaves, need to be assessed. Further, more, when public spaces are also traditional community areas, as in the case of the historic Banganga tank, their utilitarian value has to be carefully considered.

The project to preserve the Banganga tank began in 1984, and is seen by local citizens as providing a sense of direction for the protection of such vulner, able environments. The aim of the project is not just to retain Banganga tank for its historic value, but also to keep it alive and in use. This paper considers conservation in this context as being process oriented and not product defined.

Introduction

India is a land of staggering variety. Physically, she ranges from the world's highest mountain chain- the Himalayas- to swamplands that lie below sea level. India's land area is comparable to the size ofEurope, and within its land mass is every sort of imaginable terrain.

India is as varied climatically as she is geographically. The oscillation between drought and flood is dramatic. Parts of the northeast have an unusually high average rainfall, while areas of the desert region, a

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thousand miles to the west, have in recent history gone without rain for more than a decade.

Diversity, therefore, is etched on the history of this country. Its geographical and climatic extremes both suggest that the nation is as varied as its people. The population of India is said to have crossed the billion mark. Its increase each year is almost equivalent to the present population of Australia.

Within the context of tradition and high population growth, India's priorities are understandably varied and prone to selectivity. Historically, almost every age has left its mark on the physical environment. It is said that one can do little about so much because population pressures divert precious resources into solving daily problems. Protecting India's built heritage is considered a luxury and listing an irony.

Aspects of the historic built heritage that are at risk have to first be identified before a conscious attempt may be made to retain them. As cities suffer from the pressures of population growth (due mainly to inward migration and policy orientation within a global context), it is essential to take cognizance of the layered growth of cultures and traditions within the built environment before we further develop our metropolitan areas.

Mumbai

Mumbai is the pre-eminent city among many towns oflndia. It is considered the commercial capital and has the distinct advantage of being located on the west coast fronting the Arabian Sea. It is also well connected to its hinterland, with a strong railway network and one of the most used international airports in India. Although the administrative limits of Mumbai have grown into what is now known as Greater Mumbai, its historic links are to the southernmost littoral land referred to as the 'island city'.

The island city ofMumbai stretches from Colaba in the south to Mahim at the north, up to Mahim creek. It is within this limit that the original seven islands of Mumbai are located. In the same area are found many traditional settlements, remnants of colonial architecture, and the mills of this one-time 'Cottonopolis of the East', reflecting the economic history of this commercial capital of India.

Many sites trace the history of Mumbai to before the introduction of colonial monumental architecture and are found within their native physical typology. Areas like Girgaum, Thakurdwar, Naviwadi and

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Fanaswadi, Khotachiwadi, Walkeshwar and Banganga at Malabar Hill, Mahalakshmi, Parel village and Mathar Pakhadi still survive.

Other sites, designated to house a 'native' population at the time of colonial imposition, portray a similar architectural typology. These include Bazargate Street, Cawasji Patel Road, Bhoiwada Lane and Maruti Lane in the fort area, and Kalbadevi Road, Juni Hanuman galli, Vithalwadi, Kolbhat Street, Vanka Mohalla and many others in Kalbadevi. 1

Banganga

The subject of this paper is the much,popularized Banganga locality. The Banganga area ofMumbai constitutes a complex of privately,run temples in the proximity of a sweet water talao or tank (a water well, pond or small lake), lined with the ghat (steps), and situated at the southwest comer slope ofMalabar Hill. Banganga is essentially a socio,religious core, one of the few remaining in the city, where revitalization has been achieved through conservation. Administratively, the site falls in the 'D' Ward of Greater Mumbai.2

Not long ago, the Banganga vicinity was neglected. The first obser, vations, well over fifteen years ago, revealed the following: 3

• an attitude of indifference held by the city's inhabitants - users, residents, owners and local bodies;

• the threat of incongruous change caused by surrounding development affecting its character (that of a village in an urban setting dominated by religious buildings) ;

• the influence of development control in allowing visual encroachment of the skyline (from low,rise to high, rise in the context of the scale of Banganga tank and its surroundings);

• growth pressures due to escalating land values, proximity to the city centre, and an enterprise culture encouraging peripheral properties to give way to new development and uses that are not compatible with the original nature of the area; and

• a lack of community infrastructure for local residents, religious visitors, pilgrims and tourists.

The Banganga area has become a crucial site in issues of urban archi, tecture. In the search for possible solutions, the following concerns have been addressed:


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• awareness of the project area to stimulate the need for conservation through sensitive and mutual support oflocal residents;

• awareness of the project area within relevant public bodies to stimulate responsibility for keeping it alive and functional;

• regulation of activities to encourage compatible and related functions in and around the Banganga tank;

• land-use regulations, where priority is given to land and building uses that strengthen the cultural values of the area and do not deviate from those designated within the policy plan for development in the city; and

• bulk controls to achieve a built form conforming to existing character of the area, and enhancing the social and religious essence of the environment.

Historical background

In the case ofBanganga,not just history but mythology plays a role in its existence (Figure 1). It owes its origins to the beliefs of pilgrims that

Figure 1 Banganga tank surrounded by peripheral steps prooiding access from aU four sides and maintaining a continuity for the holy ritual of circumambulation.


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draw them to this tank on auspicious days. Banganga, a religious site for the Hindu community, is also an accessible and valuable open space for various other users. In the context of Hindu beliefs, the physical history of this site takes a secondary position.

The Banganga tank itself is steeped in legend. Lord Rama, a deity in the Hindu pantheon, felt thirsty during his sojourn at Walkeshwar. Being used to the waters of the holy river Ganges and finding no sweet water in the vicinity, Rama launched an arrow that sped into the Pataal, or nether regions, and released the river Bhogawati. It burst forth into a spring with the waters of Ganges. Hence, the tank is called Banganga after Baan for arrow and Ganga for the holy river. Factual evidence, however, dates back between AD 810 and 1250 (the Silahara period). 4

Experts today state that Banganga tank is fed by natural fresh-water springs that rise in its northeast comer. The tank was partly renovated during colonial rule to allow for the socio-religious needs of the local community.5 Earlier, the tank also had an ingenious system of water collection up to a determined level and a built-in overflow running underground to the sea barely forty metres from its southwest side. Today, the inlet consists of a natural spring, but the outlet is manually controlled.

Analysis

Before arriving at recommendations and detailed proposals, in-depth study and research considered issues that deal with managing and implementing a project within a highly populated urban environment.

Circulation pattern The Banganga tank area is approached ideally by pedestrian streets or stepped alleys (Figure 2), which lend originality and historic appeal to its hillside terrain. These stepped streets join up at Walkeshwar Road or the Ridge Road, as it was known earlier. Walkeshwar Road is the more popular vehicular access to this locality, even though motor vehicles can actually drive right into the area from another, lengthier, route.

Defining limits The limits of the Banganga area, both in terms of its sphere of influence and defined physical parameters, make the area clear enough for local interpretation. In particular, the predominant setting of its hillside location makes it important to study the topography and drainage of this


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Figure 2 Stepped pedestrian streets accentuate the religious feel of an Indian temple town in this locality.

site. A study model enabled an understanding of the uneven topography and revealed that the built form does not complement the natural landform but defies it.

Landscape and roofscape The inclusion of roofs in the same study as landscape vegetation suggests the hard and soft nature of a distant skyline, which belongs specially to such engulfed localities. The banana or plantain tree, often associated with India's rural and temple sites, is not incompatible at Banganga. There is an abundance of vegetation noticeable only in the akhada, a large open plot meant for memorials of saints. Most of the area of Banganga is hard surfaced, except for the water body of the tank.


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The main vegetation identified at Banganga is lactic, or milk species, like the banyan tree, which conforms to the vegetation on the banks of the holy Ganges.6 The Banganga tank and its surrounding shrines, such as Walkeshwar temple, are thus as important as those at Varanashi (Benares).

Land and building uses The use study reveals that the Banganga tank and its many surrounding temples share a mutual bond- a sense of place (Figure 3). Without the tank, the temples would be orphaned, and without the temples, the tank would be just another water body in an urban landscape. Likewise, the dhobi ghat (clothes-washing area) 'belongs' with both the tank and the sea. Washing cubicles provided by the Municipal Corporation, coupled with the best natural location of large flat outcrops of rock for drying clothes on this west-facing coastal area, make the setting appropriate.

Most of the sites, like Rameshwar temple with its lone deepmala (light tower) and axial location with the ghats leading straight down to the Banganga tank, reinforce this mutual bond with a sense of belonging or

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Figure 3 The spire dome of Rameshwar temple stands out on the skyline, with steps leading to Banganga tank in the foreground.

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sharing of place. Other associated functions in the proximity of the Banganga tank and temples include the Hindu smashan bhumi (cremation ground) to the northwest.

An additional asset of the Banganga tank is that of the sanyas (asceticism) cemetery, just across the cremation ground. This akhada consists of many small 'chattries' or miniature replicas of pavilions, shrines and cenotaphs, placed amid dense foliage. The samadhis (memorials) ofHindu sanyasis and sadhus (saints) who laid their souls to rest at this pilgrimage site are built in this akhada.

As with other religious sites in India, Banganga has the credentials and content to confirm its role as a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Its location in a high-density, development-led and land-starved metropolis does, however, require consideration of the people who frequent this sacred site.

Activity pattern Pilgrims come to offer prayers and cleanse their souls by washing off sins with a dip in this equivalent of the Ganges. However, activities that lead to pollution of the tank have to be discouraged or controlled. Activity patterns reveal a seasonal intake of pilgrims during festive occasions associated with Lord Shiva. Accordingly, activities like immersion of food, floral offerings, coins and idols during rituals; pujas (prayer rituals) and rites performed on the ghat are generally discouraged and largely controlled by the local resident priests.

At other times, activities such as bathing with soap and washing clothes with detergents are prevented and forbidden by the resident caretakers who keep a vigilant check. During seasonal months, such as Navratri (Durga Puja, a nine-day ritual before Dussera) and Lord Ganesh festival, the area around the tank and the main square at its south end are decorated with pandals (local temporary shrines).

Building conditions In such an area of dense urban life, vacant plots are immediately taken up for new development. Occasionally, one encounters properties in a good state of repair. These are typically of post-independence date (194 7).

Buildings that reflect the traditional domestic typology are generally in fair condition. However, maintenance is often neglected as rent is frozen to abnormally low levels set by the Rent Act of 1940. The meagre rental income collected by landlords is not sufficient for even basic maintenance and upkeep.

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The area also contains a few ruinous buildings, partly utilized by studio model photographers as rustic backdrops. Within the compounds of some of these sites, generally inaccessible to the public, broken and disfigured pieces of stone artefacts that once decorated the facade of a dharamshala (sanatorium) may be found occasionally in the rubble.

Built form and open spaces The study also delved into the running of the area as an 'urban' neighbourhood, addressing the physical infrastructure for services such as water supply, drainage, sewerage, electricity, garbage and refuse collection or disposal. As seen in existing dense developments, the integration of new systems of services can lack sensitivity, resulting in visual incompatibility. The built form of the area changes in a series of concentric layers relative to the tank - from low-rise buildings to seven-storey structures up the hillside towards Walkeshwar Road in the east, with low shanties abutting the Arabian Sea coastline at the base of Malabar Hill in the west.

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Figure 4 The deepmala soars high to leave a memorable impression on the visitor.

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Banganga: The 'Wlwle' as a 'Part' in Metropolitan Mumbai

Figure 5 The main ghat on the south edge meets a fairly large open space where the freestanding deepmalas are visible without obstruction.

Potential and constraint

Among the main physical assets of the area are the Banganga tank, deepmalas and deepstambhas (lamp towers) (Figure 4), temple gates or dwars, architecturally significant buildings, stepped streets, and the sanyas cemetery or akhada - all of 'association' value. Other significant areas are the vacant sites and the waterfront location of the Arabian Sea.

The peripheral ghat run continuously around the tank at a varying level from three to six metres below the surrounding roads, which connect to pedestrian stepped streets three to four metres wide (Figure 5).

There are pyramidal as well as hemispherical domes on the shrines around the tank (Figure 6, ooerleaf). Since the site slopes from the eastern side of the tank and upwards to Walkeshwar Road, the shikhar (temple domes), and deepmalas loose their visual dominance within the background of new and old buildings of differing heights.

The constraints, however, are largely private-trust-owned temples with meagre resources, old buildings with multiple occupancy, new high-rise structures, and narrow road widths.


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Figure 6 The hemispherical dame of Balaji temple is dwarfed by high-rise buildings on the upper eastern edge of the site.

Development plan proposal The future of this precinct was reviewed and critically appraised in relation to the city development plan. The plan in place at that time was only in draft form for implementation between 1981 and 2001. This review highlighted the negligence and callous attitude of the planning authority, which had ignored the cultural potential and living value ofBanganga. It was proposed that the tank be reclaimed for use as a playground by the year 2001,7 After a period oflogical and rational reasoning, the tank is today a listed and protected heritage site, not to be exploited for incompatible development. The final development plan has retained the tank and deleted the inappropriate proposal of a playground.

Synthesis As well as physical and social analyses of the Banganga area, a 'sieve index' was prepared to synthesize the results of the survey with the aims of the proposal. This required the entire site to be divided into individual plots, in order to consider the economic implications of each. For this exercise, details of 123 holdings within the area were considered, to record both details that could not be ignored in urban proposals purely for reasons of


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economic equity, and physical and visual details of the properties in terms of building and land use, built form and typology on a plot#to#plot basis.

A matrix covering purely visual and physical concerns was prepared for each plot. This exercise was useful in identifying internal differences within the whole project zone. The sieve index was used in relation to each large plot or 'grouped homogenous lot' to determine the potential of each sub#zone. Such an urban design approach seeks preservation in the context of equitable progress of the city as one whole community.

Zoning The Banganga area was considered in relation to its various zones, and a holistic layout was prepared in which the site became the 'whole' and the various sectors its 'parts'. The zonal classification reveals a hierar# chy within the spatial structure and built form of the area. Five main levels were identified:

• 'core zone', the immediate layer around the tank; • 'lower fringe', at the coastal edge on the west side of the tank; • 'upper fringe', east from the core zone on the upper portion of the

hillside terrain; • 'overlap one', the pedestrian streets or stepped alleys leading to the

site; and • 'overlap two', the vehicular road fronting properties on Walkeshwar

and Banganga Roads.

These zones have been identified by applying criteria relative to their character, use, approach, access, and other such factors.

The goals

The proposal of area conservation for this culturally livingS and historic site is based on a number of goals- cultural, aesthetic, facilities, services, circulation, residential, tourism. While these goals are considered in the holistic proposal, the general goals set out to achieve the following:

• to maintain and improve the existing character of the community as a culturally living, residential locality;

• to guide and direct future development into desirable forms and pattern, harmonizing with the sanctity of the past and image of the present;

• to co#ordinate living, working and leisure#time areas into an integrated relationship; and


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• to create a unique combination of function, circulation and image through which a balanced community development can be reached.

Development controls

To enable environmental improvement, an attempt to reinterpret the development control regulations in the existing context of this heritage zone is considered vital. The study of the existing built form gives direc, tional development parameters for the design of new proposals, repairs and reconstruction. The typology of buildings in various zones is quite different from those allowed within current development control regula, tions.9 This makes realization of continuity in the existing form through adherence to regulations improbable.

Regulations and architectural control for each identified homoge, nous core- the 'whole' within the metropolitan environment ofMumbai -need to be formulated after a thorough study of the designated heritage zone. The study of the Banganga area focuses and identifies required details ofbuilding and land,use zoning, building area consumption levels vis,(His good and poor conditions, typology, and image,based architec, tural standards and elements according to the relevant site and city contexts. It also recommends bulk control measures in relation to street frontages, comer sites, sloping edge plot access, skyline, ground cover, age, and other essential local aspects.

This exercise at Banganga provides an integrated and comprehen, sive, yet flexible, framework for plot,to,plot design solutions.

Achievements and dangers

While many approaches might be pursued in the revitalization of the Banganga area, the project has attracted the concern of local residents, citizens and civic agencies.

The objectives set to achieve sensitive development in the context of the tank, the temples and their surroundings began with raising aware, ness. This has been effectively realized at various levels:

• The residents of Banganga, led by Rocky Crasto, formed a group in 1989-91 and cleaned the tank, removed the silt, arranged for civic back, up to repair the system, and relaid the dislodged steps of the ghat in their proper place and alignment. Another Malabar Hill resident was respon, sible for drawing attention to its historic value and getting it listed as a

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Maharashtra State protected site. Earlier, in 1986, the author and Jagdish Gandhi had highlighted the neglected state of the precinct and its plight within the draft development plan for such surviving sites.

• Beginning in 1989, the Municipal Corporation and its ward office shared in the success of restoring the ghat, levelling the streets, retaining and maintaining the tank, and keeping a vigilant check on activities and encroachment. In 1991, the then Municipal Commissioner formed the Banganga Conservation Committee, under which the project took shape and commenced with the collective participation of the city. The role of the author as project urban designer formally began with this Committee, which agreed with the recommendations of the project laid down in his original work of 1984.

• Two members of the Banganga Conservation Committee, Sadashiv Gorakshkar (then Director of the Prince ofWales Museum) and Anita Garware, were instrumental in getting sponsorship from international banking institutions to fund a music festival organized by the Maharashtra State Tourism Development Corporation. The Banganga Festival has been held annually since January 1992 (Figure 7).

The successful contribution of all those who care for Banganga has left a positive mark on the area's principal heritage sites. The tank is kept clean, well drained and its water level maintained. The ghat are swept regularly, the deepmalas and deepstambhas are plastered and whitewashed annually, and a plaque has been installed in the open community space to the south of the site. This necessary ritual of building maintenance is

Figure 7 Pandit]asraj (right) performing Indian classical music at the Banganga Festival in 1993.


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rare, given the economic priorities of individuals in the developing world. The average frequency of painting a house is five years. In comparison, the Banganga Festival ensures annual upkeep of the site.

The other important factor at Banganga has been the number of visitors (citizens, national and international tourists). The success of the festival in raising awareness for Banganga tank has also seen the publication of a book (a historical chronology ofBanganga tank). 10

Despite these voluntary efforts of the citizens, the support of officials and the involvement of very many professionals, the proposal for Banganga tank has yet to come fully to life. The process is well under way, but the delivery of conservation is not time bound, and the project needs monitoring in an uncompromising city.

The uncompromising attitudes of developers in their search for numeric consumption and the inflexibility of the city's planning and development controls11 have compounded the problems of such areas -in this case evident in the dominant built form of its surroundings.

Fortunately for the tank, the scale of its first layer of plots is still maintained. As the pressures of development grow, it is the periphery of the tank that faces deliberate extinction. Such a loss will result in the diminishing of this tank.

Conservation efforts, directed at allowing development through bulk control measures, are the next priority after raising awareness. To maintain the scale of this site is just as important as protecting the Banganga tank. The heritage precinct, although designated, 12 is at present physically limited to a small portion of the immediate surroundings of the tank. Developers have taken advantage of this limited periphery, as the sites on its boundary, just outside the line of heritage control, have become subject to demolition and new development.

Conclusion

A project of this nature, in an area of such urban onslaught within a comparatively low-priority local setting, is not just an example of an area improvement or neighbourhood development. It also serves the community needs of the city and maintains the traditions embedded within its cultural milieu.

An action area proposal, where an approach to conservation is adopted, will offer guidance for opening new vistas and tackling the issues of valuing architecture in India's traditional urban cores. It will also divert the much

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sought attention of all planning bodies, implementing agencies, and even the public at large, towards adopting a new, sensitive and understand~ ing attitude towards the existing living environment. This will hopefully preserve cultural values without inhibiting development.

With escalating development pressures in a populated metropolis, a need has been recognized and retained. In this instance, Banganga, as a culturally living place, has been regained as a vital part of the metropol~ itan city ofMumbai.

Biography Harshad Bhatia BArch (Gold Medal), MUrban Design (Gold Medal) The author is an urban designer and architect based in Mumbai, India. He is a visiting lecturer at Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai; an avid writer on and reviewer of urban issues, architecture and the profession; former editor of the Journal of Indian Institute of Architects; and former member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. Harshad Bhatia is currently researching the economics, legislation, documentation and monitoring processes that influ~ ence heritage conservation in Mumbai.

Notes 1 Shastri, J ., 'Traditional Domestic Architecture ofBombay' ,Journal of the Indian Institute

of Architects, Vol V No 4, April1939, pp. 136-41. 2 Bombay Municipal Corporation, Report on the Development Plan for Greater Bombay,

Government Press, Bombay (1964). 3 Bhatia, H.M., Banganga-An Approach to Conseroation, unpublished Master ofUrban

Design thesis, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (1984). 4 Pusalker A. and Dighe V.C., Bombay- Story of the Island City, Popular Press, Bombay

(1949). 5 Ministry of Education, Bombay City Ga.:etteer- Vol II, Government Press, Bombay

(1978). 6 Doshi, S. (Ed.), Rhythms and Accents in Traditional Indian Architecture, Vol XXXIV

No 4, Marg Publication, Bombay (1983). 7 Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay, Revised Draft Development Plan for the

Island City of Bombay I98I-200I, Government Press, Bombay (1983). 8 German Commission for UNESCO, Protection and Cultural Animation of Monuments,

Sites and Historic Towns in Europe: Recommendation Concerning the Safeguarding and Contemporary Role of Historic Areas, Bonn (1980), pp. 389-94.

9 Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay, Building Bylaws and De~~elopment Control Rules, Government Press, Bombay (1983).

10 Mehrotra, R. and Dwivedi, S., Banganga -Sacred Tank, Eminence, Bombay (1996). 11 Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, De~~elopment Control Regulations I 99 I,

Government Press, Mumbai (1991). 12 Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Heritage Regulations (Final) I995,

Government Press, Mumbai (1995).


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