INTRODUCTION

 Background:

Madurai is the third largest city in Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It famous for its temples built by Pandyan and Madurai Nayak kings in the Dravidian style of architecture.

 The city was the principal administrative and cultural Centre of the Pandyan dynasty which ruled over the southern parts of Tamil Nadu .In about 1311, the Pandyan dynasty was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate which established the province of Malbar which later became independent as the Ma'bar Sultanate. When the Ma'bar Sultanate began to decline in the later years of the 14th century, Madurai was absorbed into the Vijayanagar Empire. The viceroys of the Vijayanagar Empire established the Madurai Nayak kingdom and ruled as independent kings from 1559 to 1736. After a brief period of occupation by Chanda Sahib and the Carnatic kingdom, Madurai was annexed by the British East India Company in 1801 and brought it under the Madras Presidency. In 1837, the city was expanded to accommodate the growing population by demolishing the fortifications around the temple. Post-independence, the city has expanded particularly to the north of river Vaigai by the development of new residential neighborhoods.

At present this historic core is functioning as the Central Business District of the city and covers an area of 2.5 Sq.Km (8.5% of total city area. The inner city area has a distinct character as the commercial (32.5 % share of commercial activity) and a religious center. The buildings in the inner city area are continuous row types, varying from single floor to seven floors, irrespective of the width of the street thereby changing the scale of the streets. 90% in residents in the cluster have shifted out and a number of shopping complexes have come up in these clusters. The open spaces are rented. The open space ratio is 0.6. It is clear that the temple being the major centre of attraction; it will continue to attract more and more people from within and outside the city. The activity not only needs but also promotion so as to attract more tourists to sustain the core city as a prominent activity Centre and also preserve the heritage quality of the area.

 Issue:

Madurai in the recent times is developing into a commercial hub. The land use map shows the majority of the land is used for commercial activity. This has resulted in shifting of the residential area to the outer city and that area is used for new developments. The new developments have different fabric and activity according to the ownership and this creates a different character to the street. Though the corporation sets up rules for the planning, they are often neglected and there is no proper checkup or governance of the buildings.

The height restrictions are not followed and the buildings near the towers of the temple affect the vista of the tower. The private developers do not show any concern for the historic character of the place and the materials used are different giving different character to the place.

The historic elements are losing its historic character and that monuments are used for commercial activities. Though commercial activities are essential for a tourism area, it should not affect the character of the place. The commercial activities should not pave way to move the residents out. Tourism alone should not be the concern, which will make the quality of the space to decay. The elements of the city are diminishing in its architectural value and the activity of the place spoils the ambiance of the place. 

The historic elements in the historic core of Madurai city are undergoing transformation in its use and visual character. This will result in diminishing the image of the historical core.

 Design problem:

The issue identified is regarding the historical elements and their condition today. Though the historic core is culturally rich, the commercialization has more impact on the space. The historic elements are transforming into shops and commercial centers. The problem concern with the commercialization of historic elements is the design problems.

In the historical core of Madurai city,

-       What are the elements that exhibit the historical character?

-       What is the importance of the element in the city’s history?

-       What is condition of the element in the current scenario?

-       What is the nature of transformation that is happening?

-       What are the factors responsible for the transformation?

-       How can the elements be conserved for future?

 Aim & objective:

In the historical core of Madurai,

The aim of the project is to analyze the condition of historical elements in the current scenario and to suggest strategies for conservation of the historical element.

-       To identify the historic elements and to trace their importance in the core

-       To bring out the current condition of the historic elements

-       To analyze the factors that led to the transformation of the historical elements

-       To suggest strategies for the conservation of the element