30/12/2025
Designing for Networks of the Past – The Rotunda at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
One of the first spaces visitors encounter while entering Networks of the Past is the Rotunda—an architectural threshold that seamlessly connects multiple galleries beneath a grand Indo-Saracenic dome.
At the heart of the Rotunda sits a meticulously crafted scaled model of Dholavira, an extraordinary exemplar of Harappan Civilization urban planning, architecture, and technological ingenuity dating back to circa 2600 BCE. The model foregrounds the Harappans’ sophisticated grid-iron street layouts, the hierarchical organization of the citadel, middle town, and lower town, and the acropolis—alongside vast reservoirs and water-harvesting systems fed by carefully engineered channels to the north and south. Together, these elements speak of a civilization deeply attuned to environment, infrastructure, and governance.
The model, crafted by young sculptors, is brought alive through interactive lighting that highlights specific urban components, complemented by digital tablets that flank the installation and provide layered interpretive content. While the city model anchors the Rotunda as its central focus, the perimeter walls host a series of exhibits that expand the narrative—inviting visitors to explore how Harappan cities cultivated food, stored surplus, traded across regions, and evolved over time. These displays collectively offer insights into material culture, lifestyle, and technological innovation.
Spatially, the Rotunda was conceived as a dual experience: an inner core centred on the Harappan city, and an outer ring of antiquities and interpretive displays. The deep blue palette used across the gallery subtly references the waterways that underpinned trade networks and inter-civilizational exchange in the ancient world.
The Rotunda at CSMVS thus becomes both an architectural and conceptual prelude to Networks of the Past—demonstrating how museum design, rooted in restraint and minimalism, can amplify narrative power while honouring heritage.
