About the Volume

This issue of Context has a special focus on documentation, presenting a diverse range of articles in the initial section, ranging from history of traditional materials like brick in India to prevalent indigenous building practices and sacred sites.

The introductory article by Neeta Das reflects the use of bricks deriving from past knowledge and wisdom and an adaptive trait towards the current changing conditions. Kaushik Modi and Inderjit Singh Marwah record some of the tribal building practices and rituals in Gujarat and Nagaland, indicating the growing concern for use of these traditional knowledge systems in the present scenario. Sacred sites are an essential part of the cultural landscapes spread across India. Documentation of Chamunda Devi Temple in Himachal by Harveen Bhandari and concerns for visitor management at pilgrim sites of India by Mugdha Yelkar, present an interesting discourse on sacred heritage and its sustainable management. Mugdha also brings forth the dichotomies between the type of visitors and their approaches towards the sacred sites.

Methods and approaches to deal with conservation and protection of our built heritage, in the form of private havelis in Haryana, entire urban settlements in small towns like Chandernagore or even megacities like Delhi are presented in articles by Jyoti Pandey Sharma, Aishwarya Tipnis and Ashok Kumar Jain. These articles enumerate various ways of sustaining heritage including use of traditional materials to ensuring adequate planning and protection at urban level.

Aditya Kumar points out the importance of community involvement and consideration of slums while strategising urban development policies. He showcases initiatives in South Africa, suggesting an approach that is equally relevant in the Indian context. Mariyam Zakiah and Anne Feenstra offer a sustainable solution, as they talk about involvement of local communities in devising space heating techniques in East Sikkim.

Through the heritage album section we visit the rich inheritance of Bharatpur with a blend of Braj folk tradition and royal grandeur of the Jat Maharajas.

- Editorial Team

Contents

About the Volume

Compiling Records
Brick Temples of the Gupta Period
Neeta Das
Settlement Patterns of the Rathwa Community, Gujarat
Kaushik Modi
Village Gates in Nagaland
Inderjit Singh Marwah
Sacred Landscape: A documentation of the Chamunda Devi Temple Complex, Himachal Pradesh
Harveen Bhandari

Methods and Approaches
Conserving a Village Haveli: Mehandipur-Daboda Kalan in Haryana
Jyoti Pandey Sharma
Shared Urban Heritage in India: The case of Chandernagore
Aishwarya Tipnis
Ancestral Claims and Rights to Sacred Heritage Sites
Mugdha Yelkar
Leveraging Transformation through Conservation of Heritage
Ashok Kumar Jain

Sustainable Solutions
Power to the People: Cape Town, South Africa
Aditya Kumar
Space Heating Improvement in East Sikkim Mariyam Zakiah and Anne Feenstra

Heritage Album
Bharatpur: Rediscovering the historic landscape
Urvashi Srivastava

Book Review
Performing Heritage: Art of Heritage Walks by Naveena Jafa
Moe Chiba

Events and Conferences