📄 TRIVENI Paper 3: Ritual as Civic Code — Symbolic Infrastructure for Elemental Governance
Paper III: GOBERDHAN Planning Theory & Technique
Author: Yatish Parashar
Abstract
The GOBERDHAN Planning Theory and Technique proposes a regenerative, spiral–circular biomechanics approach to settlement design. Rooted in history yet future-oriented, it conceptualizes Earth as a living system (Garbhodaya), with land and water as its primal resources. Using the bee-hive model, it frames cities, villages, and towns as interconnected communities structured around gates, mandalas, and nodes that support resilience, distribution, and regeneration. This paper establishes a planning paradigm that bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary urban resilience, ensuring sustainability and adaptability in times of growth, crisis, and transition.
1. Introduction
Background:
Human settlements have always been shaped by natural cycles, water flows, and defense patterns (forts, gates, nodes). Yet modern urbanism often disregards this systemic logic, leading to fragmented growth, resource stress, and vulnerability.
Objective:
To present the GOBERDHAN Planning Theory as a unified framework that integrates spatial geometry, ecological cycles, and social resilience.
Hypothesis:
If settlements are designed as regenerative spirals rooted in bee-hive (honeycomb) geometry, with distributed gates and centers, they can achieve maximum sustainability, adaptability, and community well-being.
2. Theoretical Foundation
2.1 Earth as GOBERDHAN
- Land = Total available resource.
- Garbhodaya = The womb principle, generating all elements.
- Water = The continuum of life and planning minimum.
2.2 Hierarchical Mapping (Theory & Technique)
| Mandala | Countries |
| Forts | States |
| Gates | Districts |
| Nodes | Communities (Cities, Villages, Towns) |
This hierarchy ensures that macro and micro scales of planning are interconnected, reflecting both governance and ecological structures.
3. Planning Technique
3.1 Geometry: Bee-Hive / Honeycomb Model
- Settlements structured around hexagonal geometry, creating spiral circulation and nested cells.
- Each cell represents a community unit linked to a larger system.
- The spiral within symbolizes continuity and growth rooted in a regenerative cycle.
3.2 The Gates as Distributed Centers
- Every settlement has six gates, each serving as a rehabilitation and rejuvenation center.
- Communities are distributed among gates, balancing population and resources.
- In case of disaster/emergency, gates act as buffer centers ensuring resilience.
3.3 Nodes as Community Anchors
- Nodes provide social, cultural, and ecological grounding.
- They are points of convergence for food, water, mobility, and knowledge systems.
4. Applications
Resilient Cities
- Distributed planning prevents collapse under stress.
- Emergency centers at gates guarantee localized recovery.
Villages & Towns
- Spiral design supports regenerative agriculture and biomechanics of growth.
- Bee-hive design maximizes land use efficiency while maintaining harmony with nature.
Disaster Management
- Gates function as self-sufficient emergency zones.
- Ensures quick mobilization of resources and people.
Sustainability Integration
- Planning aligns with water as minimum constant.
- Regenerative cycles mimic natural systems, ensuring zero-waste and continuity.
5. Conclusion
The GOBERDHAN Planning Theory and Technique presents a systemic framework for sustainable settlements. Rooted in history and inspired by the bee-hive model, it offers a circular/spiral regenerative biomechanics approach. By integrating mandalas, forts, gates, and nodes into planning, it creates nested resilience from country to community scale. This model positions water as the minimum, community as the nucleus, and regeneration as the guiding principle, thus reimagining future urban and regional planning as an organic, distributed, and adaptive system.