Rockfort Temple at Tiruchirapalli, India
Conservation of a Sacred Landscape
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5884891 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aparna Raghunathan (0000-0002-7522-1321, Université Stendhal – Grenoble 3, corresponding author), Amita Sinha (0000-0002-0756-0700) |
| Year | 2006 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 489-504 |
| Publication date | 2006-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Heritage Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1352-7258 • E-ISSN: 1470-3610 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13527250600940173 |
| OpenAlex | W2019490345 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 4 |
Sacred sites in India are subject to many development pressures. Unlike heritage monuments, cultural and historic landscapes have not been the focus of institutional protection and preservation efforts. Using Rockfort Temple complex at Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, as a case study, we propose that an integrated conservation approach be based upon restoring the natural and spatial archetypes that constitute the landscape vocabulary. A group of excavated and structural temples are located on a hill on the banks of the river Kaveri surrounded by a medieval fort that became the nucleus of urban growth over time. Overwhelming growth of commerce within the last half century has resulted in many problems such as traffic congestion, confusing circulation, and visual chaos, which in turn have led to the loss of sanctity. The structure of the pilgrim landscape constituted by circumambulatory paths, tanks and groves, shrines and temples can be clarified and made legible by minor design interventions such as restoring historic buildings, reviving the holy tanks, planting sacred trees, and building rest pavilions along the pilgrim path
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Cultural heritage · Cultural landscape · Environmental ethics · Environmental planning · Geography · Hinduism · Natural landscape · Pilgrim · Tamil · Theology · Urban landscape · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Philosophy · Religious Tourism and Spaces
| Citations per year | 0.35 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2009 - 2022 (14) |
| Highly cited | No |