Temple of Steps
Padora, Sameep
Temple of Steps - Vol.88(5-6), May-Jun - Mumbai The Indian Institute of Architects 2023 - 65-70p.
The brief was to design a temple for the residents of the
villages around Nandyal. In the dry terrain of Nandyal, the
main concern was to provide a space that would marry the
socio-cultural expectations of a temple with the ecological
framework and dynamics of and around the site. In the
immediate context of cotton and chilly farms in the region,
a natural canal system had dried up. The ecological strategy
for the temple thus began with the recharge of groundwater.
Water overflow from the limestone quarries was led to a
low-lying recharge pit, or ‘kund," the banks of which were
imagined as a social space, in the manner of a traditional
ghat, a flight of steps leading down to a waterbody. This
negotiation of land and water with steps is a significant part
of India’s architectural heritage, as is seen in the kunds (water
tanks) within temple precincts. The water infrastructure is
able to harvest roughly 137,000 litres of water.
ARCHITECTURE GENERAL (AR-GEN)
Temple of Steps - Vol.88(5-6), May-Jun - Mumbai The Indian Institute of Architects 2023 - 65-70p.
The brief was to design a temple for the residents of the
villages around Nandyal. In the dry terrain of Nandyal, the
main concern was to provide a space that would marry the
socio-cultural expectations of a temple with the ecological
framework and dynamics of and around the site. In the
immediate context of cotton and chilly farms in the region,
a natural canal system had dried up. The ecological strategy
for the temple thus began with the recharge of groundwater.
Water overflow from the limestone quarries was led to a
low-lying recharge pit, or ‘kund," the banks of which were
imagined as a social space, in the manner of a traditional
ghat, a flight of steps leading down to a waterbody. This
negotiation of land and water with steps is a significant part
of India’s architectural heritage, as is seen in the kunds (water
tanks) within temple precincts. The water infrastructure is
able to harvest roughly 137,000 litres of water.
ARCHITECTURE GENERAL (AR-GEN)