ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSESSMENT

Architectural Patterns Language and

Possibilities of Its Parametrization
G A R D E N S O F H A R M A N D I R S A H I B
A M R I T S A R

Prof : Ingrida Povilaitienė Prepared By : Gopu Pandaran Jayan

 H a r m a n d i r S a h ib ; t h e G o ld e n Te m p l e

Harmandir Sahib, as a monument, has a rich history of its own; it is the monument around which an entire religion,
followed by approximately 0.4% of the world, has developed. It has become an embodiment of the values of Sikhism –
those of compassion, community and equality. Elements of the temple – the causeway, the four entries and exits and the
Amrit Sarovar (water tank)– become tangible representations of the same. Unlike most places of worship that are designed
for the devotee to ascend, Harmandir Sahib requires the devotees to climb down - symbolizing humility.
Harmandir Sahib; the Golden Temple. In Amritsar, it sits as a testament to one of the most unique
religions in the world; it is the epitome of Sikhism. A monotheistic religion, it has incorporated in its
teachings lessons from other religions – Hinduism, Islam, Christianity – that it finds value in.
SITE PLAN

The garden is located between the Langar Sahib and the main place of worship. Much like the precinct of Harmandir
Sahib, it was important that the garden embodied the idea of accessibility; it needed to become a space with the
ability to provide multiple experiences.
MOVEMENT
INTENSITY OF HUMAN
MOVEMENT
POSITION OF GARDEN
POSITION OF GARDEN
CONCEPT OF GARDEN

The design iterations for the Guru Ka

Bagh incorporated within them
Sikhism’s understanding of Natural
Elements, Seva, Formlessness and Ek
On Kar. They paid tribute to the 10
Gurus whose lives became the norms
by which the Sikh community leads
its life.

What has been developed as the final

design for the garden is not about the
conceptual pursuits of the designer,
rather, it keeps at all times at its
Centre the religion – finding a
common ground between the devotee
and the space.
CONCEPT OF GARDEN
CONCEPT OF GARDEN
 PAT T E R N S

GARDEN WALL -
173
Conflict
Gardens and small public parks don't give enough relief from noise unless they are well protected.
Resolution
Form some kind of enclosure to protect the interior of a quiet garden from the sights and sounds of passing traffic. If it is a
large garden or a park, the enclosure can be soft, can include bushes, trees, slopes, and so on. The smaller the garden,
however, the harder and more definite the enclosure must become. In a very small garden, for the enclosure with buildings
or walls; even hedges and fences will not be enough to keep out sound.

1. Positive Outdoor Space (106)

2. Private Terrace on the Street(140)
3. Half-Open Wall (193)
4. Hierarchy of Open Space (114)

5. Trellised Walk (174)

Conflict
Trellised walks have their own special beauty. they are so unique, so different from other ways of shaping a path that they
are almost archetypal.
Resolution
Where paths need special protection or where they need some intimacy, build a trellis over the path and plant it with
climbing flowers. use the trellis to help shape the outdoor spaces on either side of it.
 PAT T E R N
S
ORNAMENT - 249
Conflict
All people have the instinct to decorate their surroundings.
Resolution
Search around the building, and find those edges and transitions which need emphasis or extra binding energy.Corners,
places where materials meet, door frames, windows, main entrances, the place where one wall meets another, the garden
gate, a fence- all these are natural places which call out for ornament.
Now find simple themes and apply the elements of the theme over and over again to the edges and boundaries which you
decide to mark. make the ornaments work as seams along the boundaries and edges so that they knit the two sides together
and make them one.

1. Wall Membranes (218)

2. Frames as Thickened Edges (225)
3. Soft Inside Walls (235)
4. Warm Colours (250)

POOLS AND STREAMS - 64

Conflict
We came from the water; our bodies are largely water; and water plays a fundamental roles in our psychology. We need
constant access to water, all around us; and we can not have it without reverence for water in all its forms. But everywhere in
cities water is out of reach.
Resolution
Preserve natural pools and streams and allow them to run through the city; make paths for people to walk along them and
footbridges to cross them. Let the streams form natural barriers in the city, with traffic crossing them only infrequently on
bridges.Whenever possible, collect rainwater in open gutters and allow it to flow above ground, along pedestrian paths and
in front of houses. In places without natural running water, create fountains in the streets.
 GARDENS OF HARMANDIR
SAHIB
THE GARDENS

A place for quiet meditation for the People, the Gardens are spread over an area of 300 Sq.m – occupying half of the
Harmandir. They are formally known as the Gardens of Harmandir Sahib. The space includes gardens, vibrant
flowerbeds and topiaries, green lawns, and a 3 acres of water body. It also includes ancient fountains and sculptures.
The Gardens, themselves, represent a harmony in nature. It hopes to remind mankind of their original status in the larger
scheme of things. The gardens are divided into distinct landscape styles – understanding of Natural Elements, Seva,
Formlessness and Ek On Kar.

THE TREES

The Golden Temple complex originally was open and had numerous trees around the pool. It is now a walled, two-
storey courtyard with four entrances, that preserve three Ber trees (jujube). One of them is to the right of the
main ghanta ghar deori entrance with the clock, and it is called the Ber Baba Buddha. It is believed in the Sikh
tradition to be the tree where Baba Buddha sat to supervise the construction of the pool and first temple.

A second tree is called Laachi Ber, believed to the one under which Guru Arjan rested while the temple was being built.
[35]
The third one is called Dukh Bhanjani Ber, located on the other side of the sanctum, across the pool. It is believed in
the Sikh tradition that this tree was the location where a Sikh was cured of his leprosy after taking a dip in the pool,
giving the tree the epithet of "suffering remover.
 T H E WA L L S
The floral designs on the marble panels of the walls around the sanctum are Arabesque. The arches include verses from
the Sikh scripture in gold letters. The frescoes follow the Indian tradition and include animal, bird and nature motifs
rather than being purely geometrical. The stair walls have murals of Sikh Gurus such as the falcon carrying Guru
Gobind Singh riding a horse.

T H E S A N C T U M
The sanctum is a 12.25 x 12.25 metre square with two storeys and a gold leaf dome. This sanctum has a marble
platform that is a 19.7 x 19.7 metre square. It sits inside an almost square (154.5 x 148.5 m 2) pool
called amritsar or amritsarovar (amrit means nectar, sar is short form of sarovar and means pool). The pool is 5.1
metre deep and is surrounded by a 3.7 metre wide circumambulatory marble passage that is circled clockwise. The
sanctum is connected to the platform by a causeway and the gateway into the causeway is called the Darshani Ḍeorhi
(from Darshana Dvara).

T H E P O O L
For those who wish to take a dip in the pool, the Temple provides a half hexagonal shelter and holy steps to Har ki
Pauri. Bathing in the pool is believed by many Sikhs to have restorative powers, purifying one's karma. Some carry
bottles of the pool water home particularly for sick friends and relatives. The pool is maintained by volunteers who
perform kar seva (community service) by draining and desilting it periodically.
THANK
YOU !