Hotel at Bodhgaya / SJK Architects
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Hotel at Bodhgaya / SJK Architects
Text description provided by the architects. Bodhgaya is where the Buddha is deemed to have received enlightenment. However, his influence in the surrounding areas has resulted in a trail of amazing Buddhist monuments and institutions. The skill of brick making in this region led to a distinctive architectural vocabulary of corbeled arches and brick vaults. The architectural vocabulary of the entire hotel draws inspiration from these historical references of Buddhist structures in the area – The Mahabodhi temple, the Buddhist Monasteries, Stupas…
There are two distinct and unique architectural lyrics at play in the hotel design. One is of Memory – where one tunes into the historical roots of Buddhist architecture rich with brick details… vaults, corbeled arches, and stepped jambs all developed in a contemporary idiom to represent the now. The other architectural lyric is Emotion – inspired by the Buddhist ethos of simplicity, compassion, and serenity. These emotions are reflected through structure and choice of material. The architecture unfolds magically through a series of layers creating gentle transitions from outside to inside through verandahs and framed openings. The banyan tree is viewed from the entrance through several frames and a serene courtyard that forms the emotional and physical heart of the project.
The five wisdoms of the Buddha aspect are expressed in the public spaces – fearlessness, oneness with the earth, giving and sharing, unity with oneself, and the wisdom of dharma. These wisdoms guide the spiritual journey from self to divinity and here they are expressed through symbology and material in each space. The symbolic qualities of the Buddha are embodied through gestures or mudras – and each quality has a personification in a Dhyani Buddha who incorporates a color, a symbol an element, and a season. Each space in the hotel has its own mudra and is designed to express the emotion and qualities of that mudra. For example, the Spa symbolizes Bhumisparsha Mudra or “One with the Earth”
The associated color is Blue, the symbol of the Thunderbolt while the element is water and the season Winter. These symbols and colors have been incorporated into the design of the spa to evoke the emotion of the mudra. This has been done with each public space to ensure that the qualities of the religion are alive in the project and the deeper tenets of Buddhism resonate throughout the environment of the hotel. The architecture of the hotel, along with the design of interior spaces and landscaping of exterior spaces, with lotus water bodies, gentle & soothing color palettes, refined aesthetics, and the mindful use of the 5 wisdoms of the Buddha aspect of the Vajradhatu Mandala come together creating a magical symphony to complement and resonate the simple, serene, and tranquil essence of Buddhist philosophy & values.
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