VARANASI

CONTENT

 CITY PROFILE
 LOCATION AND LINKAGE
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 PHYSICAL GROWTH OF CITY
 LOCATION AND LINKAGES

Varanasi, also
known as
Banaras or Kashi
, is a city on the
banks of the river
Ganga in Uttar
Pradesh
Varanasi is located797 km of New Delhi,
320 km southeast of Lucknow, 121 km
east of Allahabad.
 ACTIVITES ON THE GHATS

Due to high
concentration of
pilgrims and tourists the
ghat area is a highly
active and dynamic area.
One can see lot of
religious, traditional and
commercial activities on
the Ghats.
“Appropriation of space”
 HISTORICALTIMELINE
2ndCENTURY 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
 SPATIAL CHARACTERSTICS OF THE
TRADITIONAL CORE

Areas located in the

proximity of the river
assume greater social
significance.

The city's topography

Consists of three
Mounds resembling
lord Shiva's trishul.
These are recognized
as three sacred cores
SPATIAL CHARACTERSTICS OF THE
TRADITIONAL CORE
PHYSICAL GROWTH OF THE CITY
 EVOLUTION OF THE GHATS

 There are presently 84 Ghats along the edge of the river,

 but there are five ghat (panchtirth)which areconsidered most sacred among
all the Ghats.
 These include:
 Assi Ghat
 Dasashwamedh ghat
 Manikarnika ghat
 Panchganga ghat
 Adikeshav ghat Aarti
 at Assi ghat
 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. Map
of colonial settlement Colonial bungalow