Jawahar Kala Kendra, Arts center in Jaipur, India
Jawahar Kala Kendra is an arts center in Jaipur, India, consisting of eight separate building blocks connected by open courtyards. The complex houses galleries, an amphitheater, studios for artists, and several halls for performances and exhibitions.
Architect Charles Correa designed the building between the 1980s and its completion in 1992 as a tribute to India's first prime minister. His plan followed the original 18th-century city layout of Jaipur, which contained nine squares.
The center takes its name from Jawaharlal Nehru, with "Kala" meaning art and "Kendra" meaning center. Visitors often see students moving between workshops in the courtyards, while local families come on weekends for theater performances and music concerts.
The complex offers a library with art books, a cafe serving vegetarian meals, and rooms where artists stay during residency programs. Visitors can walk between the courtyards and explore the exhibition spaces when no private events are taking place.
Correa arranged each building block according to astrological ideas, with every section dedicated to a planet and reflecting its symbolic function. The central opening in the layout deliberately remains empty, representing the sun around which all other spaces organize themselves.
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