The sacred space - Competition entry

A Sacred space is a derivation of an individual’s belief. With the coexistence of multiple religions around the globe, the definition of a sacred space has diluted down to mean the same as a holy space, which isnt true. The idea of being sacred is achieved in a sense of tranquility, compassion and bliss with oneself and the attitude towards others. Its a space that incubates love and conciousness.

It serves to deviate hatred from the hearts and convinces the individual to embrace and to realise. A sacred architectural space must strive to achieve all this in the terms of its motive, scale, form, material and accessibility. Architecture serves the purpose of a symbol for its users and if the symbol achieves this level of purity and cognition, then it can being to serve to motivate the users within it. 

Zoroastrianism is a one of the oldest faiths still being practiced in the present. Called the Parsis, they saw persecution from the Islamic invasions and sought refuge in India and other neighbouring countries. In Mumbai, the parsis are one of the smallest communities, still they contribute immensely to the economy. Zoroastrians believe in the theory of ‘Nasu’ translating to purity and pollution. The act of being faithful to ones God/faith is what keeps the individual pure and a separation from their belief or demise leads to the individual becoming impure.  The Tower of silences in Malabar hills, Mumbai are one of the few resting grounds for Parsis. But with the steady decline in their population as well as the near mass extinction of indigenous vulture population, has seen the parsis deviating from their traditional practice. 

The Parsis worship the Ahura Mazda through fire, keeping an eternal flame lit in their fire temples, and also believe in the purity of the earth’s elements (namely, Air, Fire, Water and Earth) considering it unholy to cremate/bury their dead and pollute them. The concept of worshipping and considering earth’s elements holy are synonymous with many faiths practiced in India. The proposal of the sacred space aims to use this common ground in bridging the gap between the parsis and other faiths, by introducing a communal sacred land, where people can come and celebrate their coexistence, allow an exchange in the commons of beliefs amongst all religions and in turn able to generate some income to finance and rehabilitate the dwindling vulture population, while encouraging a sustainable environment suitable for rich flora and fauna.  

Image credits: the Author