Heritage Threshold: Reimagining Pushkar’s Arrival

Vikti Kirtesh Gandhi

UR2034

This project reimagines the arrival experience into the sacred town of Pushkar, starting from the highway edge and bus stop, moving along the entry street, and culminating at the Varaha Temple. The design responds to the unique topography, spiritual atmosphere, and everyday life of the town. It includes terraced public spaces, an underground pedestrian tunnel, plazas, seating areas, and mixed-use functions like cafés and souvenir shops. By enhancing visibility, walkability, and moments of pause, the intervention aims to create a sensitive, layered transition—reviving the forgotten edge of the town and offering a meaningful first impression of Pushkar.

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Before choosing any one site, we spent time just getting to know Pushkar—its streets, people, sounds, and energy. We walked around a lot, trying to understand how the town works, where people go, and how spaces are used during different times of the day. Instead of focusing on one spot, I looked at the whole town—its arrival points, temples, ghats, markets, and quieter edges. Through maps, sketches, and photos, I tried to capture the many layers of Pushkar—the sacred, the touristy, the everyday. This process helped me see how people enter the town, how the spiritual atmosphere builds up slowly, and how arrival in Pushkar is not a single moment, but a journey through many changing spaces.

My site focused on reimagining the arrival experience in Pushkar, starting from the bus stop and highway edge, moving through the street leading into the town, and culminating at the Varaha Temple precinct. This stretch felt important to me because it’s not just a path—it’s the first impression many people have of Pushkar. I saw it as a chance to create a more thoughtful and gradual transition into the town, one that reflects both its spiritual energy and everyday life. To help shape my thinking, I looked at relevant case studies that dealt with arrival experiences, public edges, and transitional spaces—especially in culturally or spiritually rich contexts. These examples helped me understand how architecture can gently guide people into a space rather than just drop them there. Alongside this, I began working on my own conceptual ideas. I kept asking myself: What should arrival in Pushkar feel like? How can design respect both the town’s spiritual character and its everyday l

Objectives Enhance the experience of entering the sacred town Revive and reprogram the bus stop as a meaningful threshold Improve visibility and access to the Varaha Temple Strengthen pedestrian connections from the highway into the city Strategies Breaking the slope using terraced public spaces to create accessible transitions Revival of the bus stop through adaptive reuse and mixed-use programming Framing views of the temple through architectural gestures and pathways Activating pause points along the journey with shaded seating, vending, and gathering spaces Creating an underground pedestrian tunnel to cross the highway safely and meaningfully

The aim of my design is to reimagine the arrival experience in Pushkar, transforming the journey from the bus stop to the Varaha Temple into a meaningful, thoughtful transition. By enhancing the spatial experience of these key nodes, I want to create a welcoming environment that reflects the town’s spiritual character while embracing its vibrant, everyday life. The design will focus on gradual immersion, allowing visitors to connect with Pushkar’s atmosphere before they fully enter the city. Through subtle, sensory-driven interventions, my goal is to make arrival not just a moment, but a memorable journey that aligns with Pushkar’s unique identity.

Pushkar’s unique topography. At its highest point, spaces were created to pause and take in panoramic views. Observing how people already use the site informed key interventions, like a rooftop café at the bus stop, turning waiting into a meaningful moment. Terraced plazas, shaded steps, and vending zones invite slower movement and interaction along the route. Near the Varaha Temple, quieter, contemplative spaces like meditation spots and seating areas offer a calm transition into the sacred zone. Each element responds to the terrain and character of Pushkar, creating a rhythmic journey of movement and pause.

Due to the significant level difference between the bus stop, the highway, and the city, the design was developed to address these variations. The slope at the bus stand is broken down into terraced plazas to create a smoother transition. To enhance pedestrian access across the highway, I incorporated an underground tunnel, which will feature paintings, sculptures, and souvenir vending, effectively bringing the essence of the city to the outskirts. As the bus stop is the highest point in Pushkar, the building offers a panoramic view of the entire town from its rooftop, which is designed as a café space.

an Isometric View of My Design

Design guidelines were prepared to ensure that the spatial qualities, material choices, and experiences proposed in the intervention could be preserved and replicated if needed. These guidelines distill the design’s intent into clear principles—like maintaining sightlines to key landmarks, using local materials, and keeping built interventions low and open to the sky. Rather than being rigid rules, these were thought of as flexible directions rooted in the site’s spirit and the experience of arriving in Pushkar.

3D Printed Physical Model Creating a 3D-printed physical model was an essential step in understanding the actual scale, form, and spatial qualities of the design. It allowed me to move beyond digital representations and experience the project in a tangible way. Holding the model helped visualize proportions, massing, and the relationship between different elements more clearly. It also offered insights into how the design would feel in real life, especially in terms of human scale and interaction with the surroundings. This hands-on process played a key role in refining the design and making more informed decisions.