Kiran Keswani
APA
Keswani, K. (1). The practice of tree worship and the territorial production of urban space in the Indian neighbourhood. Journal of Urban Design, 22(3), 370–387. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13574809.2017.1281732
Abstract
In India, there are religious practices intersecting with the process of urbanization at various levels. This paper looks at the practice of tree worship which continues to be a part of everyday life here. Specifically, it looks at how the Peepul tree (Ficus Religiosa) shrine with its serpent stones and the raised platform around it (katte) contributes to the territorial production of urban space in the city of Bangalore. Based on a study of 10 kattes in the city, it finds that these urban spaces belong either to a process of territorialization by the local community or its deterritorialization by the government. The paper builds a theoretical argument for how the katte as a ‘human activity node’ contributes to an ‘urban web’ which is categorized here as the physical layer. It finds that the Peepul tree could enable a ‘network of relations’, termed as the social layer. It suggests that the information fields generated within these layers influences collective memory of the people. Finally, the paper argues that the two layers acting together can help formulate an urban design model that can minimize deterritorialization.
Main finding
The study finds that the katte is used for both religious and non-religious activities and these urban spaces are either territorialized by the local community or deterritorialized by the government, The research hypothesizes that the katte as a ‘human activity node’ contributes to an ‘urban web’ which is categorized here as the physical layer and the Peepul tree could enable a ‘network of relations’, termed as the social layer, and the two layers acting together can help formulate an urban design model that can minimize deterritorialization.
Description of method used in the article
The study includes 10 kattes. Snowballing technique was used to identify the kattes and the selection was refined using resident input. The study used ethnographic research methods such as participant observation, open-ended interviews, photography and spatial mapping.
Verdict
Policy implications