Sai Baba Mandir
The Sri SaiSpiritual Centre ,bangalore was founded by its founder patron,his holiness sri Radhakrishna Swamiji ,in 1954 with a mission to spread sai devotion and set forth a tradition in which the Sai temple would provide spiritua comfort and solutions to the problems and needs of the community. Since its inception, the centre has played a pivotal role in shaping the destinies of thousands of Sai devotees.
The Sai Baba Mandir is located in N.R colony, Bangalore. It was designed by Mr. Sanjay Mohe's office, Mindspace architects.
The Sai Baba Mandir is located in N.R colony, Bangalore. It was designed by Mr. Sanjay Mohe's office, Mindspace architects.
We spoke to Mr Amith swain, an architect ,part of the Mindspace team. This is what he had to say regarding the Sai Baba Mandir,
- It was important to arrive at an architectural form which could still communicate to the local devotees who have been visiting the old temples for years as a
part f their daily routine. the image of the traditional shikara was exploited through separating layers and creating planes through which light filters in.
The traditional sanctum(garbha griha) is reinterpreted-with just a simple oil lamp glorifying light, surrounded by infinite dark spaces-the enormous space under
the shikara creates the sense of infinite space with the play of naturarl light thus creating a sense of divinity.
-The design brief chiefly addressed three points :
1. the capapcity of the gathering hallin front of the sanctum (garbha griha) had to be increased to accomodate as manydevotees as possible.
2. The large number of devotees on thurdays who seek darshan had to be specially managed in addition to the activities and devotees had to remain undisturbed inthe new structure.
3. Areas such as the sanctum, swamiji's room and others which had the religious and sentimental significance had to remain undisturbed in the new structure.
- Shikara
The traditional form of the shikara is re-interpreted by spillting the uniform surface into a series of peels that bring in the light and make illusions to an upwardly reach to the skies.
This operation of peeling allows the scaleofthe shikara element to be gradually brought down to the entrance- thenew shikara becomes the device that references the traditional temple gopuram,yet remains a contemporary expression that creates an identity for the ew centre with its sophisticated construction.
A series of concrete shell structures forms a pattern that brings in direct and indirect natural light into the sanctum space belowilluminating it with a unique radiance. The entire volume under the shikara is visible from the main hall. its various skylights bring in a play of natural light evoking a sense of divine purity
-The primary challenge addressed by the architectural concept was to negate the perception of consrained space. Functionally overruled and replaced the conventional spatial connotations of a temple.
The envelope of the central gathering space is stretched to the maximum, converting the compound wall into the only threshold in the temple and virtually the only wall. All spaces are enclosed within this envelope and conceived as a free flowing continuity that borrows from or adds to the centrality of the volume of the main hall.
Many notions of a typical temple are reversed here. For instance, instead, instead of glorifying light by contrasting its presence with darkness, the sanctum (Garbha Griha) merges with the main hall and the flood of bright white light across the interior spaeks a new divine truth.
-The role of colour in the overall perception of the Spiritual Centre is significant- the vertical and curved planes are chiefly grey, the floor and roof surfaces are mostly in white. In contrast, the textured colour background of the sanctum visually punctuates the entire volume.
Texture-both visual and tactile-is consciously deployed in the design. The black granite cladding with leatherite finish, the glass mosaic tile cladding for the shells of the shikara and the textured paint in the sanctum are instances of textural discoveries that unfold while traversing the building.
The use of stone [black granite cladding for the walls and the white marble floor] retains the traditional flavour of a temple while the colour of the stone evokes a contemporary feel. Niches in the compound wall add a visual rhythm and allow for ventilation.
