Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

184  Building The Capital

Dakshin Bhartiya Empire, Vijayanagara (Karnataka). n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In a large two-story commercial building,

An old man with grey hair and energetic eyes is looking over at the documents on his table. messy blueprints and manuscripts can be seen scattered around the room, and scrambled and crumpled architectural design drawings could be seen in the dustbin that had been overflowing.

After looking at the new documents out of the existing pile on the table, the old man selected a few and kept them aside to review again at a later time. The rest, he crumpled up and threw towards the dustbin, which amusingly bounced off the mount of papers in the dustbin and fell outside.

This old man is none other than Vishwakarma, the architect tasked with the reconstruction, repair, rebuilding, and construction of temples and monuments of Bharatiya Heritage. It was work as always for him. He had been living a very satisfied life all these months. Although he could not directly participate in the construction as he hoped, being in charge of the reconstruction and founding of temples all over the Empire filled him with great joy, seeing as how one monument after another continued to regain its past glory.

*Knock, knock.*

The door was suddenly knocked by someone. Intrigued as to who would want to disturb him, he called the person inside.

Surprisingly, it was a soldier wearing the emblem of the royal family. It meant it should be the royal guard, Noticing this detail with his still sharp eyes, Vishwakarma quickly stood up to welcome the guard inside. The guard, who was welcomed, did not insist on sitting down but conveyed the news as he was tasked to do.

"Respected sir Vishwakarma, it is the order of his majesty Vijay Devaraya to ask for your presence in the royal palace tomorrow. His Majesty has an important task for you to handle."

Hearing the guard's message, Vishwakarma was surprised at first, but he replied, "Yes, sir guard, most definitely." Although he had work to deal with, he could not deny the emperor now, could he?

"Then, sir, I will take my leave." The guard said as he bid farewell.

A day ago, Vajrakarma, who was in Anuradhapuri (Sri Lanka), was also visited by the royal guards. Similar to what his master would receive, he also got an invitation from his majesty, the emperor. He was unwilling to go at first, as the Vishnu temple construction had been progressing efficiently, and he was worried that his absence might lead to mistakes. However, considering it was his majesty who demanded his presence, he could only comply.

The next day, Vishwakarma was surprised to meet Vajrakarma in the palace, as was Vajrakarma to meet his master.

After exchanging information, they finally learned that it was his majesty who invited them both together. They found themselves in the waiting hall of the palace, awaiting his majesty's arrival. Dignified maids served them with sweets and milk as they patiently waited. It did not take long for Vijay to arrive, as both master and disciple stood up to greet Vijay. "Long live your majesty, long live." Vijay nodded his head and had them sit down.

Without further delay, so as not to waste the time of the two busy men, he got to the point.

"The Empire has an abundance of free human resources. Not using them is a huge financial loss to the Empire. So, I have decided to start a new project now that the refurbishment of temples is almost finished, and the reconstruction of the ancient temples is going forward efficiently."

Both the father and son looked at each other, not commenting on where the human resources came from, but Vishwakarma replied, "Just tell us what needs to be done, Your Majesty. No matter the cost, this old man will get it done."

"Yes, I know that you want to retire after the construction of the temples, but this matter is of too much importance, so I need your expertise,"

"I have decided to build the new capital of the Empire in Bangalore town. So, I have some plans. I need you to lead the architects in designing the new capital."

Both the father and son were surprised by the news his majesty revealed. Although there were rumours in upper-class circles that his majesty wanted to change the capital, it was the first time hearing the words from his majesty himself.

But they soon recovered, not wanting to offend his majesty. Vishwakarma inquired, "It Can be done, your majesty, What ideas do you have?"

Vijay nodded his head and shared his thoughts. "The capital I envisioned should not be any smaller than any great empire's capital. The size of the new capital is designated to be 6 square kilometres, capable of housing 120,000 people.

Also, four monuments would be built in the capital. One, the parliament building, two, the royal palace, three, the Bharat Mata temple, and four, the Bharatiya Academy of Civil Sciences. All of these monuments should be made with stone and Roman cement for them to last at least a millennium."

Vishwakarma and Vajrakarma were shocked by the layout of his majesty. You have to know that even Agra is only capable of housing 200,000 people with its area being 5.18 square kilometres, but that is a large Empire, at least double the size of Dakshin Bhartiya Empire. So, the old man got excited again as he would get a chance to build the greatest city in the world.

" We agree"

After that day, the preparation work started immediately. The town Bengaluru, which used to exist, became known as the old town, further transitioning into a taluk in Bengaluru.

Architects all over the Empire gathered urgently, putting away their tasks, and started surveying the land.

Within a week, the survey was completed. Vishwakarma, Vajrakarma, and architects proficient in different styles of architecture joined forces to design the four monuments of the city. All four architects incorporated design elements from all over the subcontinent, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, showcasing the inclusive and vast culture of the region. As a representation of the subcontinent's Power centre, it was only fitting that the capital encompassed all the cultures of the subcontinent. After various debates and with the indirect input of Vijay, who sent knowledge and inspiration seeds directly to the architects' dreams, the parliament was decided as a large and tall 33-meter pink sandstone monument to be built with Rajasthani pink stone. As for how his majesty would acquire the stone from Rajasthan, it was for him to decide.

The royal palace is decided to be built in a separate forest area with the height of 27 meters and a width of 150,000 meters. The palace is designed with expansion in mind, with the pillars being thicker than what is needed. This palace is on the outskirts of the new royal capital. It will be constructed with stone and Roman cement, covering a huge estate complete with forests and hills, taking up an area of 300 square kilometers. Although most of the land is forest, it is still a large plot of land.

Even though the city is initially planned to cover only a 6 km urban area, its design takes into account future growth and expansion. Vijay made this decision by considering the future potential of Bengaluru, which was one of the largest cities globally in the 21st century. In that era, Bengaluru spanned 750 square kilometres, experiencing continuous urban development and expansion with a population reaching 18 million people. Now, as Bengaluru transforms into the capital of Akhand Bharat, Vijay has mandated that it becomes its own capital territory, encompassing a vast 2000 square kilometres. This territorial region is centred on the original 6 km Bengaluru urban area. Furthermore, all the small villages and towns falling within Bengaluru's sphere of influence will be under the direct control of the central government.

Bright minds collided, and the plans came together. The city was finally planned to be split between multiple layouts, with the central layout consisting of the parliament building, the Academy of Sciences, the Bharat Mata temple, important government buildings and a large parade square for ceremonies to be held in the future. A residential district was also planned, radiating outwards from the central core, and the city would be divided into several residential districts. The prices of these districts are not fixed by the owner of the land i.e the Government and the royal family (before it was a forest), but as a principle of the free market, the areas closer to the core would be auctioned off at a higher price than the areas at the back. Areas are also dedicated to workshops and marketplaces to foster the economic activity of the capital. Vijay is planning to make this area a marketplace only in the future after industrialization begins.

A few areas closer to the central area are designated as the foreign affairs street, dealing with foreign guests and hosting delegates from abroad. In the near future, after Akhand Bharat is achieved, these streets dedicated to foreign affairs become filled with embassies of different countries, giving it the name the Embassy District of Bangalore.

Next were the public amenities, with plots of land reserved for the construction of Sikh, Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples. These places would be scattered throughout the city at varying locations. Additionally, plots of land were allocated for the construction of large gardens and toilets at each street corner. Taking inspiration from the Sindhu Valley Civilization (Indus), whose drainage system continued to function even after 5000 years, surpassing the effectiveness of the drainage system built by Pakistan that couldn't even manage water flow. Prioritizing functionality, proper drainage, and waste disposal systems were planned to uphold the hygiene of the city. For water supply, a network of canals, wells, and aqueducts was planned. The main water source for the capital city would be the Arkavati River, a tributary of the Kaveri River.

The Arkavati River originates in the Nandi Hills of Chikkaballapura area of Vijayanagara state, flowing only 90 km away from the planned city. Vijay ordered the riverbed to be widened and a canal to be built from the nearest point of the river to a large reservoir planned for the city. As the Arkavati River is a seasonal river highly dependent on monsoons, to avoid heavy floods in the rainy season and drying up of water in summer, multiple dams and reservoirs would be built along its route in Vijayanagar state.

Finally, when it came to the design of roads in the capital city, Vijay decided to take inspiration from Japanese scientists who used fungus in a maze to design the Subway network, making it one of the most efficient in the world. Vijay used the same concept by making the topological and geographic representation of Bangalore. The terrain was made into a 3 * 3 m representation, important buildings were placed, and destination points were marked with sugar cubes. Ants were released on the map, and soon, the ants navigated the most efficient route from one place to another given the terrain.

In this way, the roads of Bangalore were designed, making it the most well-thought-out metropolitan city in the world. The design earned praise from architects even in the future, acknowledging it as one of the most forward-looking Designs globally. The ancient capital not only kept the future in mind by utilizing natural means to design the roads but also left space on the side of the road for possible expansion in the future. Finally, with all factors considered, the group of architects led by Vishvakarma submitted the proposal to Vijay for his approval. After reviewing the details of the design, Vijay nodded his head as it adhered to his specifications, and he finally approved the construction of the capital.