Today it is the city losing its character. Its surge for upliftment and to have a laidback life goes hand in hand. The need for carving out a cultural identity for Nagpur is still not felt as we are proud of our city for all the new-fangled reasons. Thanks to the rich orchards which sprawl across its outskirts, to which the city bestows its title as ‘Orange City’. While writing the political chronicle of India, Nagpur has proudly been endorsed as the cradle of Hindu Nationalism with the inception of RSS in 1925. On the other hand, it was also here, that the architect of social empowerment Babasaheb Ambedkar paved the way for a million downtrodden to their enlightenment towards Buddhism. These political events along with Nagpur being the geographical centre of the country, its eccentric ethnic dialect, and its reduced status as the second capital of the state forms the bedrock of its cultural identity.
While the world knows Nagpur for many different reasons, its architectural attributions are rarely cited. A fellow Nagpurite would wonder whether there’s something more to this city’s skyline than the infamous Deekshabhoomi, The four horses at zero milestone and the newly raised metro corridors!
Well, Nagpur indeed has an array of historically important buildings, temples, lakes and parks which not only transcend through architectural styles but also talk about the time they belong to. They are revered to a great extent by architects and historians who have taken it upon themselves to document these buildings. However, this appreciation is limited to a certain class of history buffs only. It is when our restricted engagement with the city goes beyond encroachments of the present, we start finding these architectural marvels of the bygone era.
The character of architectural heritage in Nagpur is certainly not that of a monument frozen in time. The Beautiful Wadas and awe-inspiring Temples in the old city areas of Mahal and Itwari hide behind the cover of commercial entities today. You might just stumble across them while you are on your shopping spree through the old lanes of the city. The Victorian masterpieces on the other hand, which tell the story of ‘Nagpore’ and the role it has played in shaping the geopolitics of the country, have been adapted to suit administrative purposes after the independence. Here is a slice of a few architectural marvels in the city as we plough through the historical harvests through her timeline…
The latter half of Eighteenth-century marks the Golden age in the history of Nagpur when India witnessed High rise of Maratha powers. Raghuji was archetype of a Maratha Leader who established his reign in Nagpur after Chand Sultan’s death in 1739. The Bhonsala Rule witnessed construction of Wadas, Temples, Lakes and Parks on a large scale.
Chitnavis Wada constructed in 1740 is one of the many wadas who give a great glimpse into an era gone by. Belonging to the Chitnavis family it is one of the best maintained wadas in the city. The Wada has three chowks and a private temple. It is interesting to notice the carved wooden arches, columns, and elaborate murals in this three- wing mansion.
The tradition of temples built by the Bhonsales is unique to Nagpur and comes with the dynamism of its own. The architecture of these temples is a breakaway tradition from heartland Maharashtra and show variation in character with influences from all over the country. The Rukmini Temples today, stand in shekels completely swallowed by the society in the rare expanse of Motha Rajwada. Here, two temples of Shiva and Laxmi-Narayana are bound by a complex with beautiful landscape features. To your surprise, history talks about these temples dedicated to a courtesan – Rukmini, in the times of Raghuji – III, the last Sena Saheb Subha.
Murlidhar Mandir in Tushibaug talks about the legacy of Peshwai style temples built in Nagpur.
Besides these, the chattris at Kashibai Temple complex talk about the sati queens and tell us the stories of valour of the Bhonsala Kings. The idea of building a memorial over the burnt remains was practically new to the Marathas. Hence, a rainbow of Mughal, Rajput and Deccan influences are visible. It’s important to note how the Bhonsalas with an open heart have brought in cultural epiphanies from the geographies they raided and have made them part of their architectural identity.
1853 marked a turnaround in the history of Nagpur as the British annexed the city. Soon in 1861, the Nagpur Province which consisted of the present Nagpur region, Chindwara, and Chhattisgarh became part of the Central Provinces and came under the administration of a commissioner under the British central government, with Nagpur as its capital. The testament of British rule in central India with Nagpur as its capital is visible through the administrative buildings which sprawl across the city today.
The Buildings built by the British are still very much part of the city’s conscious, as some of them continue to function the same way while some have been adapted to suit the present day administrative roles.
The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court in the city stands ‘as a poem in stone’ as rightly described by its creator Medd Shaw. With the gravitas which the building stands today, even the Supreme court of India building lives under complex.
The spire at the General Post Office Building talks about the heights Nagpur achieved in Indian polity In the Victorian era.
Whereas, the Vidhan Bhavan is a testament of the melting moment in the history of Nagpur as a lost capital. It serves as a backdrop for the heated state politics in the merry winters.
The architecture of Nagpur is not the one frozen in time, restricted to a style. It is a historian’s puzzle, an architect’s enigma and a layman’s wonder! The stories remain to be told in a different way. With them lie our identities of past, and challenges of the present.
Written By: Mr. Suyash Sherekar
