Chota dol (Community commons and ceremonial grounds)

In a valley tucked between the arching mountains of the Vindhyan offshoots are the homes of the most famous indigenous people of our country – the Bhils and Bhilalas. The inwardness of the natural setting enclosed within three rocks and hidden away from the outside world is reflected in their cultural traditions and practices. A natural cave in the surrounding rocky hills, referred to as Bada dol where a natural spring is present is a point of high reverence and cultural importance to the community and serves as the only source of perennial water. It has now slowly become the source of domestic water requirements. The water is getting contaminated due to littering which is making this sacred landscape slowly and gradually vulnerable. The project thus aims to restore and conserve the sacred landscape of Bada dol by creating and strengthening a buffer system that will shield the fragile and sacred core from external pressures and exploitation. One way is to shift the domestic activities from the Bada dol to an alternate location which can now be termed as Chota dol. This is the project idea. This buffer is strengthened programmatically by bringing back the age-old tradition of halma which will preserve the culture, belief systems, and motifs and will help the community regain its strength.