Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur

Architecture

The design was prepared by the noted architect Charles Correa in 1986 and the building was ready in 1992. The plan is inspired by the original city plan of Jaipur, consisting of nine squares with central square left open.The Jawahar Kala Kendra adapts and applies concepts from ancient architectural principles called the Vastu Vidya.The centre is an analogue of the original city pIan of Jaipur drawn up by the Maharaja, a scholar, mathematician and astronomer, Jai Singh the Second, in the mid-17th century. His city plan, guided by the Shipla Shastras, was based on the ancient Vedic madala of nine squares or houses which represent the nine planets (including two imaginary ones Ketu and Rahu). Due to the presence of a hill one of the squares was transposed to the east and two of the squares were amalgamated to house the palace. Correa's plan for the Kendra invokes directly the original navagraha or nine house rnandala. One of the squares is pivoted to recall the original city plan and also to create the entrance. The plan of Jaipur city based on the nine square Yantra in which one square is displaced and two central squares combined. the squares is defined by 8m high wall, symbolic of the fortification wall along the Jaipur old city