ISVS‐66thInternationalSeminaronVernacularSettlements,

ContemporaryVernaculars:Places,ProcessesandManifestations,April19‐21,2012,Famagusta,NorthCyprus.

CitiesasRepositoryofVernacularTraditions;HimalayanSettlementsofIndiaandNepal

PratyushShankar

AssociateProfessor,FacultyofArchitectureCenterforEnvironmentalPlanningandTechnology(CEPTUniversity)KasturbhaiLalbhaiCampus,UniversityRoad.Ahmedabad.INDIA‐380009pratyushshankar@gmail.comAbstractThepaperarguesthatthecitywithitsspatialstructure,richrepresentationandimaginationisanimportantrepositoryofvernaculartraditions.TheideaofacityasaculturalproductisperhapsthemostimportantoverarchingconceptthathasbeendeconstructedinthecontextofHimalayanregioninthepaper.Theideaofacityasananti‐thesis to thewildnaturearoundbutwithacertainreferencetotheuniquecultural landscape of the region has been elaborated upon through case studies. Thisoverarching attitude to “nature” as reflected in the city form is perhaps the fundamentalrepositoryofvernaculartraditionofspacemakingthatinformsandinfluencesthepracticesatallscalerightdowntothebuildingandobjectsofdailyuse.ThefundamentalrelationshipwithlandandwatergetsverywellexpressedinspatialtermsinregionslikeHimalayasandhas an impact on how other material culture (including architecture) are conceived. Thestructure and form of the public places (commons) is perhaps the most immediateexpressionathumanscalethatembodiesthetraditional ideasofvernacularspacemaking.The particular idea of public space, which is unique to the Himalayas, has been shownthroughdrawingsandanalysis.Thepointbeingthatpublic(community)spacesarethemostimportant reference and embodiment of ideas of vernacular tradition of organizingspace.ThisisdemonstratedthroughthestudyofvariousHimalayancitiesinIndiaandNepallikeLeh,Mustang,AlmoraandPatan.

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BackgroundThe narrative around Himalayas and its cities gives us an interesting insight into theperceptionof thisgeography inpopular cultureof the Indian sub‐continent.InmostHinduepictext,HimalayasareoftendescribedastheabodeofGod.Alandfarremovedfromtheworldlyexistence,pure,sacredanddisconnected.ThisculturalideaoftheHimalayascanbeunderstoodinsomespecificwayshere.ItseemsthegeographicalspaceoftheHimalayasisalmost considered to be an anti‐thesis to the very ideaof amaterial city. A place not forhumansbut forGod,non‐pollutedbythehumansanddisconnected fromthe flowsof theworld. The Himalayan space of habitation is considered to be one with nature, forest,springs and rivers. The idea of theHimalayas in the subcontinent is an important one fordefining the plains themselves. The Himalayas as seen to protect and nourish the plainbelow;bothphysicallyandculturally,butatthesametimebeingtheinversionoftheworldlyways;aretreatfortheascetic,asylumforthewandererandtherenouncesThewesternfolkloreoftenassociatedtheideaof“lost”andexotic“Shangri‐La”totheregionofHimalayasandTibet[1].Aplacecomparableto“GardenofEden”,whereallwishescometrueandpeopleareimmortal.Thisagainisacompleteanti‐thesistothematerialandmortalworldweinhabit.TheideaofacityinHimalayasseemstoconnoteacontrastwiththoseoftheotherplaces.Thereisdefinitelyanideaofpurityanduniquenessassociatedwiththesesettlementsinthepopularculture.Is there something about the landscape of Himalayas that allows us to make suchconnections?

TheideaoflandscapeinHimalayasMaterial cultures like architecture, public places and cities are perceived to exist in aparticular landscapecontext.Landscape isseenasasetting for thematerialcultureof theplace. However the paper takes a premise that landscape condition of an area (region orimmediate surrounding)where thecityexists, innotonlyabackgroundsettingbut ratherfundamentalfactorinshapingthecultureoftheplaceincludingmaterialones[2]To understand the uniqueness of the settlements in theHimalayas it is important to firstunderstandthelandscapeofitsexistence.ThehillsandespeciallytheHimalayanMountainshave a unique physical landscape condition that first needs to be understood in order tofurtherdecipher the cities there.TheHimalayas range runeast towest (some2400km’s)andthebasicformationoftherangesissuchthatitdrainsmajorriversystemsofSouthAsia.The rivers that start from the glacier of themelting snow at the higher altitude, leads toformation of valleys and ridges. The particular formation is one of the most importantfeatures that have a profound impact on subsequent human activities and settlements.AlmostallsettlementsexistinsomevalleyoftheriverorstreamsThevalleyasageographicalentitybecomesthecontainerthatatsurfaceseemsprettyself‐contained and physically well defined. Unlike the plains, a valley system has extremelystrong landscape references.The landscapeof theHimalayas isunique ineachspacewithspecific site circumstances. The situation of the valley, the contours, the water and thevegetation togetherseemsto formastronganduniquecondition. It isnotgeneric like theplains; rather it is specific to the place. So the architectural expression has to be sitedextremely well; it has to be sure and specific. There is no second chance as land is at apremiumandnorapossibilitytogrowwithtimebeyondapoint.Forexamplessettlementsin plains expand, reach out andmorphwith time due to the immense flexibility that thelandscapeofferandalsoassocietiesgothroughdramaticchanges.Hereinthehills,thereisno such physical luxury hence the physical expression of human endeavor (architecturecitiesandpublicplaces)comesoutasbeingfixedandnotchangeableovertime

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CitiesofValleysThelandscapeconditionofareainandaroundthecitiesinhillsiswaydifferentandunique.There is no idea of infinite resources as in the plains.Whereas in the plains the idea ofinfinityortheworldbeyondhorizonistheonetobeexplored,plunderedandoccupied.Inthehills thenatural resourcesare richbut limited, thephysicalworldhasa limit. Thecityacts as the repository of the surplus of the region of valleys and hence the river and thevalleys become the domain that are to be respected, understood and worked with. It isdifficulttobreakthisdomainofthelandscapecondition.Thereishardlyanypossibilityfordifferentlandscapeinterpretation.Thewatergushesfromthehighertolowerlevel,bringsinmudandrocksinmonsoon,humanscanonlywalkwherethe land is gentle enough to not toss them off their feet, crops can only grow in terracespossibleincertainslopes,thewintermonthsareharshasthereisnofirewoodandfood,socommunitiesmuststoreinadvance,ittakesdaystocrossonevalleytoanotherandtherethewatertastesdifferent,themountainsareofdifferentcolor,theriverpatharenotthesameanditfeelssame,bitdistinctivelydifferentaswell.Moreimportantlythesurplusofonevalleycannotbephysicallybroughttoanothervalley;itcanonlygodowntoothersettlementsinthesamevalley.Sothecityinamountainisboundtoavalleyandariver.Thevalleybothprotectsandrestricts.Theworldbeyondcannotbecapturedbuttheonlywayitcanbeunderstoodisthroughtrade.Oftenthesettlementlieonthedryridgescommandingviewofbothsidesofthevalley.Thiswaysthesesettlementsareon firmer ground not prone to landslide and are able to use flat ground for commonactivities. See figure 1 showing the smaller settlements in Kathmandu valley and Figure 2showingthepositionofPatantown.Itisclearthatthereisaspecificattitudetowardssittingofthesettlementswithrespecttotheprotrudedridges.Sohowdoestheuniquegeographyimpactthewaymaterialandothercultureareshapedoveraperiodoftime?

SpatialMentalConstructs:OrientationandDirectionThe formation of a valley is a direct result of the flow of water from higher to loweraltitudes.The flowof theriver fromtheglaciersaboveto theplainsbelow is the firstandamongstthestrongestphysicalrealitythatneedstobeacknowledgedinthelandscape.Thefact that one is always near flowingwater, that ismaking itsway from the higher to thelowergroundisfundamentalrealitythatcannotbedeniedinavalley,andalsoinitscitiesoroutside it.Thehumanconstructsofbothorientation (locatingoneself)anddirectionthenbecomesthefunctionoftheflowofwater.Thedirectionoftheflowoftherivertellsaveryimportant story. It locates us as we realize the higher slopes above and the lower onesbelow;givingasenseofdirectionandhenceorientation.Unliketheplainwherethesunandthehorizonplayanimportantroleinorientingthehumanmind,inthehillsitistheflowofthe water that helps us read the landscape thereby creating a strong physical sense ofdirection.Thevalleywithitsupperandlowerareasbecomesakindofcontainerthatcreatesaspatialrealmthatispartiallyisolatedfromadjacentvalleys.Thenaturalconnectionofthevalleywillbe either to the higher passes and the “land beyond” or lower down to the plains (seesection on Trade Routes,OpenGrounds andMarkets for discussion on the same). This iswheretheroleoftheroutesthatconnectsthecitiesofthevalleyfromtheplainsbelowandothersbeyondthehighpassesbecomes important. It isnotsurprisingthatmostvalleys intheHimalayashavetraditionallydemonstratedadistinct identitythatisbothsocialaswellaspolitical.

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CulturalidentitiesofvalleysTheHimalayas are understood through valleys in popular and traditional perceptions. Forexample; the Kullu valley with its unique religious‐cultural features and the Solan Sutlejvalley for its unique tribal culture. Valley is the dominant cultural division in the hills. . Ittouches areas of lower altitude and subsequently connectswith the plains and themanyworlds there asmuch it connects through a single trade route to theworld beyond in itsouterreachesthroughtheno‐mansland.The myths and legends of a place are often restricted to a particular valley and do notextendsto theadjacentvalleys.Forexamplethenatureand ideasofcertainbeliefsystemwithin the state of Himachal Pradesh like festivals and rituals can greatly vary from Kulluvalleytoanother(LiketheDussherafestivalofKulluvalley).Theuniquecultural identityofthe valley is further expressed and reinforced by presence of local deities that are spacespecific.ForexampleShringiRishi is the rulingdeityofBanjarvalleyandRaghunath is theoneofKulluvalley.Theconceptofpreferredrulingdeityitselfestablishestheperceptionofuniquevalleysidentity.TheKulluDusssherafestivalbecomesthemomentwhentheentirelocalvalleyGodsareinvited.ThisfestivalunifiesthevariedidentitiesofthedifferentplacesinHimachalarea.Thecitiesthenbecomeamuchstrongerfaceofthesevalleys.Theyarenotmerelycitiesofavastoverlappingregionwithgenericuniversalidentitybutratherspotsofurbanity of usually unique geographical and cultural space with clear physical referencessuchasrivers,mountainpeaksandmeadows.SodoesaHimalayancitysignifyinitsspatialconstruct’sthesymbolismofthe“local”muchmorethantheuniversal?

ThefixedphysicalandtheabstractuniversalThe above discussions on the unique landscape setting (valley‐river systems) of theHimalayan cities poses interesting question form the point of view of the expression ofmaterialcultureoftheplace.Doesthestrongandspecificlandscapecondition,whichresultsin specific mental constructs of orientation and space lead to spatial constructs that arespecificorgeneric?Andmoreimportantlydoesthespatialexpressionsofthesecitiesrelyonmorephysicalandlegibleexpressionsoraretheymoreabstractandnon‐legibleones?Looking atmanyHimalayan cities it is very clear that the expressions of architecture andpublicplacesemergeveryclearly(legibility)andarephysicallydirect.Seefigure3showingthe public place and palace in town of Mandi in Himachal Pradesh in India and figure 4showingthesameforPatanItseemsthattheideaofthe“universal”intermsofknowledgesystems,religioussymbolismandritualislesspronouncedintheHimalayas.Theconnectednesswiththephysicalspaceismuchstrongerasthesocieties(civilization)neverreallydevelopedstrongnon‐physicalideasof thecity ‐ likeacomplexknowledge‐ religious‐ transcendental ideas thatareshared inacity.Forexampleanoverridingmythological‐religiousexistenceofacityorcitythatjustifiesits existence to the elaborate knowledge domains that are shared like crafts, science ortraditionalengineeringUnlikethecitiesoftheplainsbelow,thehillsettlementusuallydonotpossessanelaboratepolitical‐economicsystemstocreatesurplusandgetthecityrunningwhichhastodependupon on complex abstract idea of a city rather than a physical ones alone. However anexceptionhastobemadefortheBuddhistMonasticsettlementsoftheHimalayas(mainlytrans‐ Himalayas), where the universal ideas of religion and that of themonasterymightideallybecomethekeyinfluencesofthematerialexpressionsinthecities

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An examination of themain public spaces of the Himalayan cities (composed of ground,market and palace) leads to some very interesting findings and corroborates the idea oflegibleandstrongphysicalspatialexpressions.

TheHumanConstructs:Routes,GroundsandMarketsThetraderoutesholdaveryspecialplaceintheperceptionoftheHimalayanregionanditscities. Due to the physical isolation of cities in Himalayas the trade routesbecome thetenaciousconnectionwiththeworldoutside.Towardsthedownstreamthetraderouteactas collectors bringing with them various traders from the plains and different regionalinfluences and towards the top beyond the passes they connect the valley to the worldbeyondtheHimalayas(Tibet)ortothehighwayoftheworld(thesilkroute).Thecitiesoftenhavearoadthatpassesthroughtothesetraderoutesasaremindertotheconnectionwith theworldbeyond.The city sees itself lyingona route. Thisperception isfurtherreinforcedbypresenceofopengroundsinthecitythatareoccupiedbytradersandtheir animals and now perhaps replaced by trucks. In towns that have arisen on ideas oftrade, the physical fabric displays and symbolizes these connection with the outer worldmuchmore prominently like theMarket and the open spaces in cities like Leh, Chamba,Patan,Kathmandu[3]andMandiright inthecenterofthetown.Seefigure5showingthesectionofthepalaceandopengroundinthetownofMandiThesemarkets are very different from the ones that are there in other parts ofthe town.Theyarenotspecializedbutratherarefullofthe“exotics”fromdifferentlands;TheChinesegoodsfromTibet,themasalasfromSouthIndiaorDVDplayersfromthetownsoftheplains.Themarketandtheopengroundtogethergiveafeeloftemporarinesswithloosedefinitionofspacesallowingforflexible interpretation; informalmarketsbyvisitingtraders,spacetoorganizegoods,groundforfairetc.Theopengroundinthecenterofthecityalongwiththemarket is an important symbol of the connection of the city with a very different worldoutsideandfarawayTradealsobringsaboutnewideasincitieslikepresenceofstrangers,marriagesoutsidethecaste domain or settlers from different lands. Trade led to a kind of cosmopolitan societyfrommedieval times. Leh is a very good example of a city that has people from differentethnic origins that have made the city their home. Afghany, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Tibetan,Balati,Persiantonameafew.Theverynotionofacitygetstransformedinasocialsettingthatincludeslotoflocalgroupsbutalsomanysettlerswhoslowlybecomenaturalizedtotheplace.Oftenonthefringeofthecityoritsmarketplacesonefindsmanyshopsthatcatertothe specific needs of the other communities of the cities thereby symbolizing thecosmopolitannatureofthecity.

TheSecularizationoftheopenspaceTheopen groundand themarket areusually tobe foundat an important junctionof thecity; theplacewhere the trade route (connectionwith theworldbeyond)meets the localmovement system (immediate connection that are mediatedmainly through water). Theplacewhere these two disparate systems ofmovementmeet is often the placewhere inmanymedievalcitiesthepalacecomplexbuildingsitsadjacenttotheopenground.Inmostofthewell‐formedcities,thepalaceandtheopengroundtogethercompletetheideaoftheopenpublicplace.Theprominentpositionofthepalaceasviewedfromtheopenspaceisanimportantgestureto not only reinforces the idea of power but also as it creates a contemporary idea of asecularpublic space. Thevery ideaof a city isoften symbolized through such spaces. The

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presence of the palace building,that symbolizes the idea of centralized system(administration and politics) that is over‐arching andwhich also helps in stitching variousdifferentidentitiesofregionandethnicity,isanimportantconditioninimaginationofacity.Thepalacesandthealliedinstitutionslikecourts(incaseofMandi),watertanks(incaseofPatan andKathmandu) becomenon‐communal gesture that support the ideaof a secularspace.Thepresenceoftemplenotwithstandingthecharacterofmostofsuchspacesissuchthatitoftensymbolizessecularideasofplace.Itisnotsurprisingthateventoday,theseparticularspacesaresomeofthemostimportantpublicplacesofthecitythatfunctionasitscenter.TheChoganofChamba,DurbarSquareofKathmandu valley cities or the garden and sunken market of Mandi function as veryimportant public places even today. The feel or rather the symbolic identity of the cityseemstoemergefromthesespaces.Theideaofacitythatisbuiltthroughhumanwillandconstructsemergesverystronglyinsuchspacethroughitsinclusive,cosmo‐politicalnatureatonehandandmateriallegibilityofitsopenspaceandpublicbuildingontheother.

BalancewithNature:ThecirculationofWaterandCommunityPlacesThere seems to be a relationship between circulation ofwater andmovement pattern ofpeopleinmostareasofthehills.Pedestriantrailsoftenrunparalleltowatersystem,gentlynegotiating the contours.A studyof settlementsaround theKathmanduvalley revealedapattern thatwas usually observed as extension of the core of the cities or as connectorsbetween two settlements. These were generally linear strips like development of houseswitharoadinbetweenandmoreoftenthennotitwasparalleltoawaterstreamsmovingfromhighertolowerlevel.Sincesuchsettlementsarelinear,thereisalimittotheirgrowth.Butwhatismostinterestinginthesesettlementsisanideaofthefront,whichisthepublicfaceof thebuilt formand thebackside,which ispersonalprivateandnegotiateswith thenatural condition of slopes towards thewater source. This negotiation of the back of thebuilt fabric is in form of private yards, agriculture fields and orchards. The conditions isimportant for conceptualunderstandingas linear stripsofbuilt formthatposition itself incusp of the two very distinct realms of nature on one side and man made movementcorridor on the other. This seems to be a very common phenomenon inmuch hill valleyconditionbutaveryimportantoneforunderstandinglargertownsthatexpandedtocoversuchlinearstripsi.IfweweretolookforsimilarcharacteristicsinPatan(anotherKathmanduvalley city) it becomes difficult to read historic patterns of eithermovement of water orroads in a densely packed fabric. To understand the role of water (both surface andunderground) a contour slope analysiswas carried out on the topography of Patan town.Seefigure6.Theredlinesindicateridgesandwithblueonesindicatethevalleysandflowofsurfacewaterduringmonsoonperiod.Furthercorrelationofthiswatermovementwiththesettlementandexistingroadconditionleads to interesting results.Most of the road towards the north and eastern sides of theslopingpartoutsidethecorerunparalleltothewaterstreamsthatwereidentifiedthroughthe slope analysis. It is very clear that themovement routes are a direct response to thetopographicalconditionontheeasternedgeofthetownasallof themrunparallel tothevalley conditions that are formed parallel to themovement of surface water. This is thetypical negotiation of the surface water stream that we have observed in many othersmallersettlementsinthevalley.Thisisoneoftheimportantsystemsthatinfluencetheformofthecityasitguidesthespacethat gets organized around these movement axes and also form the backbone of theimportantandprimordialphysicalandphysiologicallinkofmanwithagriculture.Seefigure7This community public realm (short connections) forms the backbone to hold the keycommunalelementsand functionof thecityatamore immediatebasis.This is the“socialspace”iithatcommunitiescreate,nurtureandmouldfortheirownself.Thisisaveryintimate

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and communally responsive feature that emerges from the attitude of the communitytowardstheirlandscapeandagriculture.IthasqualitiesofimmediacyandcloseconnectionwiththedailylifeandperhapsritualofthepeopleofPatan.Itconveysmessageofreverencetothesourceoflife,itsacknowledgementandapacttomaintainabalancewiththeforcesof nature. This is the just the other public realm and in direct contract to the one that iscreatedinthecenterofthecitythroughtheopengroundandsomekeyinstitutionsofpowerand trade. This realm ismoredomestic, closelyassociatedwith the ritual traditionsof thecommunityandoftenthesymbolismiscodedonlyrevealingtothecommunityitself.

ThemeetingofhumanandnaturalrealmsItisalsoobservedthatplaceswherethenaturalwaterflowthroughthecityintersectswiththemanmade community institutions alikemarkets,monasteries and temples ultimatelyhas immense public importance. The expression around water streams takes a veryinteresting form in the Kathmandu valley region. The Peepul tree and a small shrine areoftenfoundtobearoundthelowestpointofthegroundslopesattheplacefromwherethewaterisreceivedfromupstreamandthengoesdowntothefields.SeeFigure8.Thisgestureofmarking space throughworshipof thePeepul tree and installing a shrinehas immenseculturalsignificanceasthespaceisinvokedthroughuseofreligioussymbolsandrituals.Thepublicnatureofthespaceisfurtheremphasizedbysmallplinthbelowthetreethatsupportscommunity activities andmany idols ofworship around the tree trunk. Thewater, plinth,treeandthereligiousartifactstogetherattachacertainmeaningoveraperiodoftime.Thisis perhaps the beginnings of placemaking that acknowledges certain landscape conditionandwillhavetobeaccountedforwhilestudyingpublicplacesandtemplecomplexesinoldcities.Theacknowledgementofwatergetsreflectedthroughdifferentexpressionswithinthetownof Manang. See figure 9and 10. Water is revered, guarded and acknowledged but notnecessarily celebrated in space like in the dry‐arid regions of the Indian sub‐continent. InManang for example themain public community place of importance gets built around astreamoutfall aroundwhich is awaterhole forhorsesand forwashingpurpose.The twoguardians Juniper tree on both side of the water outlets add a level of importance andaccord protection. Themain public space follows the direction that is established by thewateroutfallsandthetrees,maniprayerwheels,stupaandmonasterycombinetogethertoholdtheplaceasoneofcommunityimportance.It is interestinghownaturalelementsaremodifiedandaccordeda levelofboth importanceandprotection throughuseof religiousartifacts. This again together forms a ‘place’ that becomes special and one of communityimportanceoveraperiodoftime.Thisisplacewheretheoldgather,ortheplacewherethefeastsare cookedat thecommunitykitchen, theplace to settledisputes, theplace togetmarried, tocatch the latestgossip, togamble,drink,makemerryor justaplace to loathearoundandcatchtheafternoonsun.The communitywashing places around thewater stream in Kagbeni (Mustang) forms themostimportantpublicplaceontheedgeoftheoldcity.Seefigure11.Itisinterestinghowthewaterstreamthatskirtstheoldcityhasaveryinterestingpublicdimensions,allduetotheJunipertreesallalongitsbankgivingbothaecologicalaswellassocialresponsetotheplace.At theplacewhere thepedestrianpath intersects thewater stream,asmallarea ismade for washing clothes, along with a local brewery that makes raski (apple whisky)surroundedbysomehousesandtheoldmonastery.Hereagainitseemstobeaninterestingmixoftrees,water,communitystructureandthemonasterythataddsapublicdimensiontotheplace.InPatan,whichwasacapitaltownwithastrongtraditionoffineartsandarchitecture,suchpublicplacesbecomelargerthanlifeintermsofbothsizeandelaborationbytheirgesturesof water structures and building architecture. This can be observed in the Kumbheshwar

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temple complex thathas a five tieredbuildingwith threewater fountainponds and largeopenspacearoundit. Seefigure12.Buttheoriginofthecomplexseemstohavebeen inthe invocation of the place itself. The position of the largepeepul tree behind thewaterpondalongwiththetopographicalconditionoftheareasuggestsveryhumbleoriginsoftheplacemuch likemany such shrines around the town. The temple complex is on a speciallandscapezone;atthepointwherecontoursturnandsurfacewaterchannelsareformediii.The large peepul tree with a small shrine forms backdrop to the five storied templestructure. It is not surprising thatwater fountains (hitis) andwaterponds form importantpartsofthewholeexperienceofthetemplecomplex[4].Thisisaninterestingexampleofapublicplacethatcelebrateswaterasitflowsfromhigherslopesofthecitytowardstheriverby according a level of importance to the water structure by their architecture (andembellishments).What’smore, thesewater fountains are actually pauses in an elaboratesystem of urbanwater conduits that are channelized along natural slopes for communityuse.Butthentheynolongerremainutilitystructuresandarereveledbytheirelaboration,presence of religious shrines in the fountains and positioning around sacred trees andtemples.Again,theissueof‘placemaking’aroundnaturalelementsofwaterandtreesisaveryfundamentalinthispartoftheworldandthatiswhatperhapsdrawspeopleovertime.

Conclusions:ThestructuringprinciplesofHimalayancityTheHimalayancitiesarestructuredaroundideasofnatureanditsrelationshipwithhumanendeavors.Thekeyprinciplesofthisstructurearelistedasfollows

ThelagerexistentialconnectionandhumanaspirationsThe expressions of architecture and public places seem to exhibit a legible and clearlanguage intheheartofthecity.Thisseemstoemergefromtheveryspecific, limitedandyet complete nature of the landscape of the valley itself. The limitation in the domain ofpolitics and economy contribute to the sense of the place and the city is seen as itsrepresentative. The idea of the public architecture and public spaces of the cities inHimalayas embodies the sense of this cultural landscape by beingmore physically legibleand sure in its expression, relying less on universal symbolism or universal typologicaldevicesforcommunicationandmoreonthesingulardominatingideaofapublicplaces.Thispublicplaceisformedontheroutethatconnectswiththeotherworldenteringthecityandmeetsthe largeopengroundwith clearand strongexpressionsofpublicarchitecture.Thisgestureofpublicplace throughopengroundsandbuildings isalso theone thatembodiesideaofacity;ofhumanconstructsignifyingthepositionandconnectionofthecitywiththeworldatlarge.

ThebalancewithnatureThe other public realm is formed by spaces formed along the flow of water, with thenetworkof street, small shrines,waterpointsand templesetc.This structuresmajorityoftheslopinggroundofthecity,asitmeetstheriverbelow.Thepositionofthecityathighergrounds results in the parallel valleys of surface drains running to the river becoming theplace where these community level activities and public places occur. These communityspacesarealmostprimordial in itsoriginas itsignifythetraditionalconnectionofhumanswithelementsofnature;water,soilandvegetation.Itportraysafinebalancebetweenmanandnatureandisoftensymbolizedthroughcomplexsymbolismandrituals

ThemeetingofhumanandnaturalconstructsThe places or spots where the man‐made constructs of streets and building meets thenaturallandscapeconditionthatareprominent,liketurningofthecontoursandthickpatchof vegetation becomes the place where many public places are formed. Often temple

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complexesaroundsmallopenclearings,withtanksandsucharetobefoundinsuchareas.These become larger community level public places and signify the meeting of thehumanand the natural construct in the city

Figure1:SettlementsonRidge

Figure2:PatanontheRidge

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Figure3:ThePalaceandopenspaceinMandi

Figure4:TheDurbarSquareandPalaceinPatan

Figure5:SectionthroughthePalaceandoriginalopenspace,Mandi

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Figure6:Thevalleys(blue)andridges(red)inPatan

Figure7:Twodifferentstructuringsystems,Patan

Figure8:Thepeepultree,waterandtemple

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Figure9:ThecommunityplaceofManang

Figure10:Planofthecommunityplace,Manang

Figure11:CommunityspacearoundwaterstreaminKagbeni,Mustang

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Figure12:KunbheshwartempleatPatan

Endnotes iMostoldcities likePatanwouldhaveoutgrowntheiroriginalcoreandwouldhaveengulfedeitherneighboringhamletsandsuchlinearextensions.ThehistoricaldescriptionbyMaryShepherdSlusseraboutgrowthandoriginofPatancorroboratesuchoutgrowthiiUsingLefebvre(ProductionofSpace)conceptofsocialspaceiiiAcontourandslopeanalysishasbeencarriedouttounderstandthenatureofsurfacewaterflowanditsrelationshipwiththetemplecomplex

Reference:[1] Wikipedia,Shangri‐La.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri‐La,

[2] Schama,Simon,LandscapeandMemory,RandomHouse,1996.pp.19.

[3] Slusser Mary Shepherd. . Nepal Mandala: A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley.Volume1:PrincetonUniversityPress.1998

[4] UN‐HABITAT,WaterMovementinPatan,UNHS,2008.pp.03