Charles Correa Masterpiece : JAWAHAR KALA KENDRA, JAIPUR
Jawahar Kala Kendra
Jaipur, India. 1986
Architect: Charles Correa
Maharaja Jai Singh, who built the fabled Pink city of Jaipur was moved by two seemingly conflicting set of mythic ideas and images. On the one hand there was the ancient Navgraha (the mandala of the nine planets) and on the other, the newest myths of Science and Progress.
Thus the city of Jaipur, double coded like Jai Singh himself, is truly astonishing for its synthesis of past and future, of the material and metaphysical worlds. In this, Jai Singh is indeed analogous to another man, born more than two centuries later, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Guiding the nation after Independence, Nehru wanted to re-discover India’s past whilst simultaneously opening the door to a new future.
The Arts Centre, dedicated to Nehru, is really a metaphor of both men – and for Jaipur itself. Like them, and like the city, it is double-coded: a contemporary building based on an archaic notion of the Cosmos: – the very same Navgraha mandala, with one of the squares moved aside, to recall the gesture that created the original plan for Jaipur. The centre is an analogue of the original city plan of Jaipur drawn up by the Maharaja.
Correa’s plan for the Kendra invokes directly the original navagraha or nine house Mandala. One of the squares is pivoted to recall the original city plan and also to create the entrance. The plan of Jaipur city based on the nine square Yantra in which one square is displaced and two central squares combined. the squares is defined by 8m high wall, symbolic of the fortification wall along the Jaipur old city
LAYOUT ACCORDING TO THE MANDALA
The building program has been “disaggregated” into eight separate groupings corresponding to the myths represented by that particular planet:
- For instance, the library is located ill the square of the planet Mercury which traditionally represents knowledge,
- The theaters are in the house of Venus, representing the arts.
- The central square, as specified in the Vedic Shastras, is avoid: representing the Nothing which is Everything. The flooring pattern in this square is a diagram of the lotus representing the sun. City Palace, Jaipur.
The astrological symbol of each planet is directly expressed in a cut-out opening dong its external wall.
BROAD ACTIVITIES
The centre has been made in eight blocks housing
- museums,
- theatres,
- library,
- arts display room,
- cafeteria,
- Hostel,
- studio
The centre is frequently occupied with artists and arts loving people. Many exhibitions and performances by local artists are displayed at the centre. The annual festivals of classical dance and music are held in the centre. The centre hosts many workshops of dance and music.
INFERENCES:
- The buildings in a contemporary metaphorical replication of the basic plan of the city of Jaipur, based on the vastu pursh mandala. The architect in his attempt to create a brand image for the historical city, has tried to get the essence of the existing form but superficially .
- The critical sustainable aspect of the traditional architecture of Jaipur has not been tackled well.
- The place has an amazing interplay of light , shadow and colours, evoking emotions in the user and invite him to move further.
- The spaces flow as an narrative and changes the moods of the user, but the over all circulation lacks of continued covered corridor, which makes the place unusable during summers and rains.
- The open air theatre is only good to look at, it is enclosed by the high walls which create acoustic and ventilation problems at the time of crowd.
- The high walls with no fenestration in the fa?ade makes the building enclosed and ir does not open up to the city. however within the building the activities are disintegrated but combine to a heterogeneous mixture of various cultural activities happening individually.
