Ayodhya Project

Jay Chauhan is an  architect based in the city of Nashik, Maharashtra with his original roots being from Ayodhya, UP. Like every other Indian kid who travels to nani ka ghar during school vacations, Jay too used to board the train to Ayodhya in the holidays, all excited. During those years, one thing that remained constant was the talks about the infamous Ayodhya dispute that crept up in every conversation on every occasion; happy or sad. As he grew up, he started realizing the intensity of those conversations and the emotions behind them.

During his initial years at graduation college, he kept reading and researching about anything and everything related to this topic and his hometown. The research finally culminated into his final year thesis project;  कोख- A Journey Within, Ayodhya - an experiential museum. It is completely based on his personal thoughts and understanding of the context.

Chauhan likes to call it a place of memory, because it is memories that create an image of a place and give it an identity. These memories are usually associated with experiences which we come across daily in our journey (of life). It is the journey that this young architect is trying to re-create for a city which has endured malice to a great extent. He believes that good architecture has the power to bring about change that will help us heal and recover from a disturbing past. He wants to take the spirit of this space above and beyond all divisions which create a rift among humans.

Project Images