An Inquiry into Evolution of Entrances as Urban Nodes: A Case Study of City Gates in Udaipur

Abstract

This study aims to critically evaluate the gateways of Udaipur as a determiner of an urban node. The particular inquiry began as a curiosity in response to the transformation observed in and around the city gates. These gates have long gone through a series of changes. Some are used as bureaus of the police, while a few are shaped into public art galleries. Interestingly, several of them are still being used as transitional spaces, whereas a few of them are just left out to be artifacts in isolation. What started as the primary role of them being an access point to the city wall turned out to be distinct uses over time. This thesis explores the attributes of an urban node and evaluates how these gateways are functioning as such. It will begin by discussing the dogma of territory and access, followed by the history of entrances and gateways (narrative and graphic representation) through different periods in time. Striking briefly at the Indian medieval urban history, it will be taken into account that they act as a node in the urban composition. The idea is to look at the factors which have defined each gateway the way they are in and their impacts then use them to establish a pattern and basis to summarize their evolution of nodes. The study demonstrates that evolution has been guided by dominant determinants such as geographical location, socioeconomic, structure, politics, availability of materials, and technology. The conclusion presented can be used to understand these historical settings beyond architecture and understand the larger role it played in creating an urban node.