The Jagannath Temple at Puri is one of the char dhams – the four significant pilgrimage sites in India. Nearly 50,000 people visit the temple every day and the numbers reach two million during the annual Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession). The precinct faces many challenges such as improper parking, inadequate public amenities, unorganized vending and traffic, insufficient infrastructure, and unplanned security.   Â
The proposed plan works with the existing concentric geometry of the temple. A radiating grid generates the inner Pedestrian Plaza that incorporates the historic matths (Hindu monastic institutions) and decongests the precinct by giving devotees and visitors a large space to disperse and rest; and the outer Development Zone that houses cloakrooms, queuing spaces, food courts and security towers. The plaza in front of the temple provides a multipurpose space that serves as the starting point for Rath Yatra.Â
Emerging from the outermost concentric of the design, a peripheral road allows traffic to by-pass the main processional routes – clearing the plaza for chariots. Through these interventions, the redeveloped plaza safely accommodates one of the largest gatherings of pilgrims in India.Â
This project shows how modern planning and engineering can be used to create meaningful public places that are efficient and safe, and how precincts can incorporate culture and history while addressing the challenges of the twenty-first century city.
Puri
Start Year: 2018
The Jagannath Temple at Puri is one of the char dhams – the four significant pilgrimage sites in India. Nearly 50,000 people visit the temple every day and the numbers reach two million during the annual Rath Yatra (Chariot Procession). The precinct faces many challenges such as improper parking, inadequate public amenities, unorganized vending and traffic, insufficient infrastructure, and unplanned security.   Â
The proposed plan works with the existing concentric geometry of the temple. A radiating grid generates the inner Pedestrian Plaza that incorporates the historic matths (Hindu monastic institutions) and decongests the precinct by giving devotees and visitors a large space to disperse and rest; and the outer Development Zone that houses cloakrooms, queuing spaces, food courts and security towers. The plaza in front of the temple provides a multipurpose space that serves as the starting point for Rath Yatra.Â
Emerging from the outermost concentric of the design, a peripheral road allows traffic to by-pass the main processional routes – clearing the plaza for chariots. Through these interventions, the redeveloped plaza safely accommodates one of the largest gatherings of pilgrims in India.Â
This project shows how modern planning and engineering can be used to create meaningful public places that are efficient and safe, and how precincts can incorporate culture and history while addressing the challenges of the twenty-first century city.