Sacral waters and the jewel mountain: reclaiming kunds in Ayodhya, India

Abstract Water structures are sites of collective memory and have a vital role in providing ecosystem services in India. An alternative model of water sensitive urban design based upon the conceptual framework of regenerative urbanism is proposed in Ayodhya, a pilgrim town in Northern India. Reclamation of water bodies is salient to planning the soft infrastructure of blue-greenways for regenerating degraded sites and prevents loss of collective memories and place rituals, both significant forms of intangible heritage. With a focus on the urban periphery of Ayodhya, the article discusses water structures as sites of mythic memory, their current condition and context, and their potential as nodes in community spaces and green corridors of pilgrim movement.