RESEARCH &

ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION HUBBALLI
Dharwad is one of the largest districts situated
Hubballi, formerly known as Hubli is a The iconic Chennamma statue
in the western sector of the northern half of
Commercial hub in Northern Karnataka. It
Karnataka State. The district encompasses an
literally means ‘Flowering Creeper’ in Kannada.
area of 13,738 sq km lying between the
Hubballi and the city of Dharwad, which is
latitudinal parallels of 14°17' North and 15°50'
situated about 20km from Hubballi are
North and the longitudinal meridians of 74°
collectively called ‘Hubballi-Dharwad’. It is the
43' East and 76° East. The maximum length
second largest conurbation after Bengaluru in
of the district is 186 km. The maximum width
the state of Karnataka. The twin cities together
of the district is 138 km. This district has the
make up the cultural and commercial capital of
largest number of taluks (17), is bounded on
North Karnataka. It has produced some of the
the north by the districts of Belgaum and
most well-known Hindustani music exponents.
Bijapur; on the east by the districts of Raichur
This land holds a unique spot in the narrative of
and Bellary; on the south by the districts of
Hindustani Classical Music and Kannada
Chitradurga and Shimoga and on the west
Literature. The twin cities also being an
by the district of Uttara Kannada.
Educational centre with premier institutions
such as the Indian Institute of Technology,
Karnatak University and University of
Agricultural Sciences adds to its richness.
Hubballi is an important mark on the map for
the Indian Railways as it is the headquarters of
South Western Railway Division.

2 Eureka Towers – Commercial complex

The Malaprabha river flows in the north of the
district for about 25 km separating Dharwad
district from Bijapur district. In the southeastern
and the eastern sector, for a distance of about
130 km, the river Tungabhadra forms the
natural boundary. In its shape, the district may
be regarded as roughly resembling an inverted
triangle; broad at the northern end and very
narrow at the southern end. The eastern and
the western borders gradually converge to a
narrow strip as one moves from the north to
the south. One special feature is that all the
seven districts surrounding Dharwad district
belong to Karnataka State.
HISTORY
Rayara Hubballi, also called ‘Eleya Purvada
Halli’ or ‘Purballi’ was the old Hubballi, where
there is a Bhavani Shankara temple and Jaina
basti. Under Vijayanagara Rayas, Rayara
Hubballi grew as a commercial centre, famous
for trade in cotton, saltpetre and iron. Under
the rule of the Adilshahis, the British opened a
factory here. The factory was looted by Shivaji
in 1673. The Mughals conquered Rayara
Hubballi and it was then placed under the
governance of the Nawab of Savanur, who
built a new extension named Majidpura.
3
Later, trader Basappa Shettar built new Hubballi
around the Durgadabail (Fort Maidan) part of
Rayara Hubballi. Hubballi’s famous Moorusavira
Matha (Three thousand Mathas) is claimed to
have been established by a Sharana of
Basaveshwara’s period. In the following years,
Hubballi was conquered by Hyder Ali, only to be
recaptured by the Marathas in 1790. The new
town, with 47 other villages, was handed over to
the British by the Sangli Patwardhan in lieu of
subsidy in 1820.
CULTURE
Dharwad is the cultural capital of North Karnataka.
Ancient temples, Mutts and Agraharas in the
district encouraged the spread of education here
and paved the way for the growth of literature
and folk arts as well. Pampa was born in Annigeri.
It has a tradition of poets starting with Kumara
Vyasa, Kanakadasa and Sarvajna down to
Shishunala Sharief and Bendre.
Moorusavira Matha
It was here that Aalur Venkata Rao convened
the first writers’ conference in Karnataka. In
the field of literature, it was here that the
friends. circle which developed around Bendre
was formed and nurtured. Dharwad is known
all over India as a major centre of Hindustani
music. Mallikarjuna Mansur hails from here. In
theatre too, it was in this district that Sriranga
tried his experiments with amateur troupes
and professionals like Shirahatti Venkoba Rao,
Vamanarao Master and Garud Sadashiva Rao
carried on their theatre activities. Professional
theatre has received constant support in
Hubballi city. Many of the theatre artistes from
here have made it to the cinema as well.
Literature and theatre of the region have
played a unique role in national awakening.
Temples and fairs of the region have been a
fountain of inspiration for the folk arts. In the
field of journalism too, many successful
experiments have been tried out in Hubballi
and Dharwad. It was from here that a writer
like Galaganath used his pen to awaken
nationalist sentiments. Hubballi, Dharwad and
Gadag are also known as centers of fine arts.
Even in a field like historical research, Dharwad
emerged as the second most important centre,
next only to Mysore, even without royal
patronage. The region has produced Marathi
writers too. The presence of many eminent
Sanskrit scholars here is like a reminder of ancient
Agrahara tradition.
MUSIC
Hubballi-Dharwad, a twin-city in Karnataka,
occupies a unique spot in the narrative of the
Hindustani Classical Music (HCM). Music lovers
have called the place a Line of Actual Control
between Hindustani and Carnatic music. It’s
regarded as the southern outpost of the
Hindustani classical music tradition and from there
southward the Carnatic music tradition has its
sway. Hubballi-Dharwad is home to the musical
tradition which has still not compromised on its
exclusive and defiant purity. The market forces
haven’t diluted its dedication to perfection. The
city has at least three centres of music, one of
them set up by two Canadian HCM enthusiasts.
In addition to the cultural disposition of the
people, geography and history are also
responsible for Dharwad to become a prominent
place in the HCM.
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From the 12th century Chalukya’s rule, Dharwad Abdul Karim Khan, a famous Kirana Gharana court singer
was rummaged by a series of conquerors including in Baroda state, was a frequent visitor to the court of the
Shivaji, Mu Azam (Aurangzeb’s son), Peshwa Balaji Mysore kings. On his way, he regularly stayed with his
Rao, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. Once a part of the brother in Dharwad and taught HCM to students. His most
Vijaynagar Empire, Dharwad was under the rulers famous disciple, Sawai Gandharva later became the guru to
from both Maharashtra and Karnataka. After the fall Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi and Basavaraj Rajaguru.
of the Mughal Empire, the Marathas had their sway With the addition of Mallikarjun Mansoor and Kumar
over Dharwad until defeated by the British in 1818. Gandharv, Dharwad’s ascent in Hindustani classical music
Dharwad’s indigenous Carnatic culture got mixed consolidated.
with the Maratha and the Muslim cultures. Musical
geniuses belonging to the two schools also criss-
crossed Dharwad and the region. The Vijayanagar
Empire, as is well known, had great contribution to
the evolution of Carnatic music. The famous
Carnatic music composer Purandara Dasa was born
in Shivamoga district and his last years were spent
at Hampi, close to the region. The legend has it that
Swami Haridas, the teacher of Tansen, was a Pt Bhimsen Joshi Dr D R Bendre Mallikarjun Mansur
disciple of Purandara Dasa whose compositions are
sung by Hindustani classical vocalists as well.

With the decline of the Mughal Empire in the north,

the court’s culture of singing was adapted by the
imitating northern princely states. When the British Dr Gangubai Hangal Dr V K Gokak
influence gained ascendancy in those states, the drift
of the HCM to the south began.

5
In Hubballi-Dharwad other styles like the Jaipur
gharana and the Gwalior gharana can also be found.
However, the place is mostly identified with the
Kirana gharana, a style with origins in Uttar Pradesh.
This is also because from Abdul Karim Khan(1872-
1937) to Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011), Kirana gharana
incorporated many features of the Carnatic tradition.
Most Hindustani musicians from Karnataka are
exponents of Kirana gharana. Kirana gharana was
reputed to have revolutionized khyal singing in the
late 19th century by introducing the slow-tempo
method to delineate the raga note by note (vilambit).
Performers from Kirana gharana are believed to have
marked their print on certain ragas. Ragas like Todi,
Lalit, Multani, Patdeep, Puriya, Marwa, Shuddha
Kalyan, Darbari Kanhara, Komal-Rishabh Asavari, etc.
have acquired new dimensions under the Kirana
school of singing. While Bande, Ali Khan, Pt Sawai
Gandharva, Pt Sureshbabu Mane, Hirabai Badodekar,
Ustad Amir Khan, Gangubai Hangal, Prabha Atre,
Manik Varma, Raskilal Andharia and Shripati Padigar
were the pioneers of the Kirana gharana, the
generation after them included Niaz Ahmad Khan-
Faiyaz Ahmad Khan duo, Shakoor Khan (sarangee
player), Mani Prasad, Pt Channulal Mishra, Mashkoor
Ali Khan, Arshad Ali Khan, Sanhita Nandi and others.
6
Spread over seven hills, Dharwad always presents a
picture of calmness and probably, it is the “education” is
in its soil that gave birth to several academics, litterateurs
and other eminent personalities. The establishment of
“Normal School”, named as “Training College” in 1856, in
Dharwad city might have been a milestone for the
development of education in the region.
EDUCATION
There is no denying the fact that even before the
“Normal School”, there were several primary institutions
in the area established by princely States or private
organisations even before modern education was
introduced.
History has it that Hubballi, now part of Hubballi-
Dharwad Municipal Corporation, was once an
“agrahara” (a Brahmin settlement) where general
education was also imparted apart from religious
education with a 12th century inscription endorsing this.
It was during the period of the British and the
missionaries that Dharwad received a boost with
regard to education, especially modern education. The
British government first set up Marathi schools in
Dharwad and Hubballi in 1826, followed by a
Kannada school in 1931.Subsequently, their numbers
increased. English education was made available in
Dharwad with the establishment of the Government
English School in Dharwad in 1848.
With Christian missionaries playing a commendable
role in imparting education, the city emerged as a
centre for secondary education. The establishment of
Karnatak College in Dharwad in 1917 was a landmark
in the history of higher education in the region
consolidating Dharwad's position as an education
centre. Two universities post-independence— Karnatak
University (1947) and University of Agricultural
Sciences (1947), and the IIT (2016) and many other
institutions came up in Dharwad. Although Hubballi
did not lag behind, it only followed the footsteps of
Dharwad.
CONURBATION
In order to promote the development of the two cities
that are so near to one another, the Government of
Karnataka merged the two Municipalities together in
the year 1962. The joint civic body came to be thence
known as Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation or
H.D.M C. 7
When both the cities were brought under single urban
authority in 1962 the geographical area covered was
about 52 sq km. However, consequent to the inclusion
of several villages between Hubballi-Dharwad, owing to
these villages having developed urban characteristics, the
total geographical area now stands at 181 sq km in 1991.
Geographically this corporation is biggest in Karnataka.
The twin -city Hubballi-Dharwad urban agglomeration is
very important from the point of its strategic location
and economic importance to North Karnataka in
particular and Karnataka State and India in general. At
the regional also, both Hubballi and Dharwad are
important marketing centres for agricultural produce for
the surrounding.
An unprecedented increase in the traffic all along this
urban stretch in recent times has led to the decision for
building a by pass road to the National Highway No.4
for diverting traffic on the highway. With the
completion of this by-pass road, which is parallel at a 7
kilometres distance from the existing road, which passes
through the city, the heavy vehicular and direct traffic is
prevented from entering the congested cities by
diverting it on this by pass road. With the construction
of this by pass road, the urban growth expansion is
likely to move in this direction in due course of time.
With this, the existing linear structure of urban growth
of the twin cities will change to some extent as the
urban centres it is likely to get widened.
The growth in population in recent times has been This has led to urbanization and the population has been
phenomenal due to increased migration from increasing as a consequence of migration from the
surrounding small towns, villages and other regions surrounding areas, not only for education but also for the
of Karnataka who have migrated due to the employment opportunities that the urban region
educational and employment opportunities that the provides. Industrialization and urbanization has also led
twin cities afford. The total population as recorded in to a general improvement in the standard of living of the
the Census of 2001 shows that the cities have a
people. Not very long ago the northern region of
population of 1,00,000. In the wake of this increase
Karnataka state was considered industrially backward.
in the population size, the number of commercial
establishments in the cities has increased steadily. The
density of population in Hubballi-Dharwad
agglomeration is 14:42 persons per square acre of
area (Census 1991). The area covered under the
urban limits is so vast (182-sq. km) that the city has
to be divided into several divisions for efficient
'administration. The distribution of population is not
uniform

ECONOMIC GROWTH
Growth of Industry: It may be said confidently that
for the economic growth of an area, the
establishment of industrial centres becomes a
precondition for industrialization of the region. The
Population of the twin cities in 1991 is considerably
large as compared to the Population in 1891. Thus,
over a period of a century the Population has grown
phenomenally due to the growth of industries.

8
The government perceived the twin cities of Hubballi
and Dharwad as the ideal region for attracting
industrial investment. Hence the Government of
Karnataka declared the region as industrially
backward and announced a package of incentives to
attract investment from industrialists. Very recently
the Government has provided facilities for
establishing a Technology Park at Hubballi city with
a view to make it the information centre for the
northern region of Karnataka state. Due to these
steps undertaken by the Government, the cities of
Hubballi and Dharwad are slowly registering their
name on the industrial map of India and have also
been providing employment opportunities for the
educated youths who would have to otherwise go to
other cities in the country for jobs.
The city has an Agricultural Promotion and Marketing
Corporation (APMC) facility. Very recently the
Government also created a marketing facility in
Hubballi city for the direct sale of agricultural products
and fruits to citizens directly without the middlemen
playing a role. This market is called the Raithara Santhe
(Farmers' Market). The city of Dharwad has a
Tuesday market, which is very popular and important
as a commercial market for the sale of cattle, repair of
tractors and the selling vegetables and grains. Similarly
Hubli has a Wednesday market, which caters to the
people from villages surrounding Hubli.

TRADE, COMMERCE AND

AGRICULTURE
Various items like iron and steel, construction
materials, vehicles, stationery, households utensil,
provisions, clothes, electrical, and electronics
products plastic items etc. are sold on wholesale
basis, meeting the requirements of people in the
region.
Because of fertile land, agriculture has prospered in
and around Hubballi. This has helped the growth
and development of agriculture based industries.
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 Also, Hubballi being the second largest growing city
DESIGN in the state of Karnataka needs more spaces that
could serve the purpose of congregation and to
succour its residents to know, relish and preserve the
“ We look inside first, decide the kind of world forgotten culture. The amalgamation of vernacular
we want to see and then project that world and modern styles in terms of form and function to
outside, making it the truth as we see it ” create a public space is an ideal way of giving
insights from the past, providing opportunities for
- Anonymous
socio-economic growth, teaching and learning local
arts & skills that need more recognition and creating a
platform for trade and encouraging local industries to
True beauty arises from within itself, by self- bloom.
evolution and not by mere imitation. It is the smaller
bits of a place that add up to create an essence for
itself that is unique and irreplaceable. Re-creating
and preserving the forgotten heritage of our cities
alongside the modern ingredients, through an
imagination of a realistic world put onto the paper
as drawings could be the shortest way of verbalizing
the true meaning of what we call Parallel Projections.

The city of Hubballi has a rich historical and cultural

background. The art, music, literature, local
architecture and numerous other facets of this city
have been forgotten due to migration and inclination
towards commerce. Though the change was
unintended, it has evidently reduced the importance
of these aspects to a significant level.
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SITE JUSTIFICATION

The chosen site lies in the central

area of Hubballi and consists of
Storage facilities that belong to
the State Government
Warehouse Corporation and are
no more in use. The warehouses
were supposedly built on this
strategic location decades ago
and due to the growth and
expansion, this location now lies
in the Heart of the city making it
easily accessible from all sides.

Warehousing facilities are

generally in the outskirts,
therefore this site remained
abandoned for a long time. It lies
in between the residential and
commercial zones thus becoming
a Neutral Zone that is ideal for a
Public Square to come up in this
area.

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SITE ANALYSIS

Climate Main Accessibility

Tropical Airport – 5km
Wet & Dry Old Bus Stand – 1.4km
New Bus Stand - 2.6km
Summers - Hot & Dry Railway Station – 1.7km
Late February to Early June
Monsoon - Large amount of precipitation
Approximately 830mm annually
June to early October
Winters - Fairly moderate temperature
October to early February

Wind
North Eastern Winds – December to February
South Western Winds – March to November

Topography Strengths
There are no contours on site The location is ideal because of its easy accessibility
and presence of a fresh water stream on the
Soil boundary
Red soil in central core area and Black cotton soil in Pre-existing buildings on the site could be part of the
the extension areas of the city design

Approach Weaknesses
Pune – Bangalore Highway The site lies at the junction of Pune-Bengaluru
Gokul Road highway and road that connects to Gokul – There
could be traffic issues
12
DATA COLLECTION

AMPHITHEATRE DETAILS

LASER SHOW
STANDARDS

CAFETERIA SIZES
13
CONCEPT AND DESIGN Existing buildings on the site Demolished
DEVELOPMENT completely

Adaptive – Reuse

The chosen site consists of warehouses

which are no more in use as it is located in Structurally weak Profile retained and modified to
the central area of the city. Generally, G+2 building on serve as seating area
warehouses are situated in the outskirts the site
which gives a clue that the site might not
have been a part of the core city area.
Presently the site being centrally located has
an added advantage of easy accessibility
from all sides of Hubballi.

Partly demolishing and retaining the

Demolished and only profile
warehouses, face-lifting them and assigning retained to create market Warehouses retained and
functions successfully transforms a site that is space on the location converted into Cafeteria and
not in use into an active public platform. Workshop

Seating Area

Santhe – The Market

Swaad - Cafeteria

Karakushala – Workshop
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CASE STUDY
FREEDOM PARK, BENGALURU
Freedom Park, an interesting Public Space in the Garden
city - Bengaluru is an ideal case study. The relevance of
the Freedom Park to our design project is the concept of
Adaptive – Reuse. It was originally a place which was
used to imprison those against British rule since 1857.
Watch tower before transformation

Watch tower acts as a focal

point for the plaza around

This park had various parts. There are there massive

barracks which were used to keep common prisoners Transformation of the old into a
along with a VIP enclosure which was used to Café and Book Museum
accommodate high profile prisoners. There is also a
central tower which was used to observe the activities of
the prisoners. The Central Jail premises with an area of 21
acres was redesigned into a public space in the recent
years with the purpose of serving as a platform for
various public meetings, protests, rallies. There is also an
amphitheatre for the speakers to put across their views. It
has various other attractions too such as a Jail Museum,
Sculpture court, People Courtyard, Water Fountain, Book
Museum along with a huge area for children to play. Parallel walls, centre axis of the park
15
There is also a cafeteria as well as ample of parking
space. With two entries, it makes it even easier to
reach depending on which part of the city you are.
One of the entries is from the Seshadri Road, close to
Gandhi Bazaar while the other one is from the
Ramachandra Rao Road.
The Public Square project similar to the Freedom Park aims to serve as a Public Space and act as a
platform for local artists, people to learn and teach local arts & crafts, trade them and also provide
opportunities for social interaction and entertainment by means of Adaptive - Reuse.

16
MASTER PLAN 1. Santhe – The Market
2. Swaad – Cafeteria
3. Karakushala – Workshop
4. Badminton Court
8
5. Basketball Court
6. Nisarga – Lawns &
1
6
7
Sitting
9
12 7. Public Toilets
8. Belakinaata – Laser
4
5 11 Show
3
2
9. Streamside Sitting Area
10
10. Bayaluranga –
Amphitheatre
11. Parking I
12. Parking II

17
1. SANTHE – THE MARKET
Santhe is a market place in the Public Square that encourages
local artists to trade local Organic products. Kasuti works,
Bamboo products, food are a few things to be named out of
the list. Also, the products made during workshops in
Karakushala can be exhibited and sold in the market.
2. SWAAD – THE CAFETERIA
North Karnataka food is enjoyed by the local as well as
outsiders. Swaad is one place where one can expect not just the
regular fast-food that is loved by the gen-y but also traditional
North Karnataka cuisine.
3. KARAKUSHALA – WORKSHOP
A place where the dying Arts and skills gain a medium
through which they could be passed on to others and the
generations to come. It gives the artisans too a platform for
exhibiting their skills and helping in socio-economic growth.
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4. NISARGA – SITTING AREA
Rapid urbanization and developments in the city have called
for cutting down of trees on a very large scale in recent times
which definitely has an impact on the local climate. Also, in the
hustle-bustle of a city life we have forgotten the feeling of
being close to nature. Nisarga is a blissful escapade from the
maddening factors of our Urban lifestyles.
5. BELAKINAATA – THE LASER SHOW
Drawing inspiration from light is the Belkinaata, a laser show
which is the first of its kind in Hubballi. This attraction is located
on the waterfront, adding to the lovely experience of spending
time with mother nature amidst a hard-core commercial city.
The seating is inspired by the Stepwells of Hampi
6. BAYALURANGA – THE AMPHITHEATRE
The OAT is a place where people can showcase their talent in
front of a large audience. It is designed keeping in mind the
factors that enhance the visual and audial experience.
Bayaluranga is for everyone, ranging from amateurs to
professionals and from kids to the old aged.
DESIGN DETAILS

SANTHE – THE MARKET

Santhe is Kannada for Market.
This is one of the major elements
of the Public Square. The Santhe
serves as a space where the
local artists and traders can trade
organic goods and local arts and
crafts. It is convenient for the
residents of New Cotton Market
area, Gokul and Vidyanagar for
marketing here. The profile
arises from the Hospital building
that earlier existed in the location
that had to be demolished due
to structural reasons and not
being in use.

Materials used
Bamboo used to create the
structural framework and
partition walls between the stalls.
The plinth is made of adobe
earth and the roof inspired by
Barrel-vaults is also made out of
Bamboo.

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KARAKUSHALA - WORKSHOP
Local art and handicrafts are
elemental in depicting the cultural
richness of a place. Karakushala is a
workshop where the visitors can
learn these skills. Bamboo weaving
and the famous ‘Kasuti’ embroidery
are two such local arts that have a
lot of potential to grow. The
products made during the
workshops can be traded in the
Santhe which not only gives
recognition to local art and artists
but it also is a small step towards
encouraging entrepreneurship in
the region.

Materials used
The plinth of the building that
previously is retained but the walls
are rebuilt out of Adobe.
Cuddapah stone that has been in
use in this region since very long
ago is used as flooring material in The eaves of the roof carry
the Workshop. The Hipped roof is wooden slates that have intricate
covered with Mangalore clay tiles carvings. Bamboo being a common
which suits the climate and is a material in all of the blocks is used
major feature in the Vernacular for Jaalis in various parts of the
Architectural style here. Workshop.

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SWAAD – THE CAFETERIA

A public place is incomplete without a

place to eat. Swaad – The Café fulfils this
requirement. One of the warehouses with
a size of 16 x 22 m is retained with its
plinth and the RCC columns to be
converted into a Café. Swaad is a semi-
open space with walls as high as 1.2m in
the front and full walls of 3m height at
the rear side where the kitchen is located,
the idea behind which being the concept
of ‘openness’ and light and ventilation.

Materials used
Swaad uses the timeless Cuddapah stone
for flooring and Adobe for the Walls. It
follows the Vernacular style of Roofing
that is covered by Mangalore clay tiles.
The materials used in the construction of
the blocks in the Public Square also suit
the local climatic conditions .

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AREA STATEMENT

Market-4%
Café-2.3%
Landscape-86%
Toilets-1.5%
OAT stage-1.1%
Kiosk-0.2%
Workshop-4%

PERCENTAGE OF BUILT-OPEN
SPACES

The areas assigned to each block is

calculated keeping in mind
Built
anthropometrics and the city’s spaces-
demographics. There is more than 14%
80% of open space that also
created scope for enhancing the open
Public Square design with rich spaces-
landscape elements.
86%
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CONCLUSION
Times gone have enjoyed their share of richness and glory, which now makes it inevitable for us to comprehend the need for an
alternate style that not only branches out and grows into what appeals to us in the modern era but also has its roots firm and deep
inside the ground, to regain what is lost.

The proposed is a Public Square that envisions to create an environment that not only evokes a sense of tranquillity amidst the
chaotic Urban setting but also educates the residents and guests of Hubballi about its forgotten History. It also emphasizes on trade
and economic growth by providing opportunities to small scale industries and traders to trade organic goods in the Santhe and
Bayaluranga acts as a platform for artists to showcase their talent. The Workshop is meant for trade of knowledge and artistic skills
that are on the verge of disappearing and the Laser show, a new concept in Hubballi is to entertain people. There are smaller
elements of design that add up to enhance the overall design, such as the seating spaces inspired by Stepwells from Hampi and the
landscaping that creates a pollution-free premises. Overall, there are functions that are contrasting and run parallel to all the action
happening outside the site.

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