Protecting the Viewscape and Visual Relationship of Sacred Heritage Monuments in South India – A Case of Gopurams of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The unique significance and social value of heritage monuments across the world prompted many governments to work out strategies to protect their viewscapes. The Sacred heritage monuments and their viewscape are important to the overall quality of our communities, the views and visual relationships towards these monuments foster emotional bonding between people and them. In India, many such sacred heritage monuments are surrounded by new urban development which destroy the historical connection between people and monuments. In south Indian cities like Madurai, Trichy, Srirangam, Thanjavur, etc. the sacred gopurams dominates the city plan at the center. These sacred monuments were constructed in such a position that they would dominate the surrounding area, providing a focal point for the town or city. The view of such gopurams has significance for various stakeholders like the local residents and tourist etc. Today there is a threat to this viewscape, the urban development which is happening in the immediate setting of these monuments is obscuring the visual dominance, importance or its aesthetic contribution once these monuments had to the townscape. These sacred monuments have been built to be viewed and worshipped from far as well as near. The sacred monuments which once stood in isolation and dominated their surrounding are now in danger of being lost to views. They no longer have their visual relationships in the wider setting and many cases they are likely to lose in the immediate setting. This problem is caused mainly by the increase in the density and height of the surrounding development which is also not coherent with the historic structures. The existing legislation provides a buffer zone around the monuments as prohibited and regulated areas, but they do not guide the development around the monuments or protect the visual relationship. Several visual preference studies have been done in the areas of landscape planning, architecture, and urban design. But there is a lack of tools / guidelines to assess the views and visual relationships of sacred historic monument and the stakeholders perceptual, affective and cognitive responses to such environments. There is strong need to investigate the visual relationship of monuments and their settings and the associated public value they inherit. The aim of this study is to form a literature basis for a research on viewscape of sacred heritage monuments. This paper will critically review all available literature on viewscape and legislations related with protection of viewscape.