The Jakkur Amphitheater - From Source to Stage
The story begins with Mahadevappa. A Maestro Mason who brought with him many natural ingredients to prepare a fine Lime based Mortar and Plasters. Mahadevappa, his wife Lakshmiakka and friend Chandruanna practice the very same methods to conserve the architectural heritage of Mysore, sticking to his ancestral knowledge to implement them on The Mysore Palace, St. Philomena Church and many other marvels.
The Admixtures :
Maravajra , Gondhu, Kalchakra - Different tree resins the former coming from a rubber tree, all of which help improve the elasticity of the mortar/plaster preparation.
Menthya and Urad dal seeds - to make the mixture slimy
Soapnut, Nutmeg, Egg white & Jaggery- fermented over 3 days, the bacteria attracted now spreads, expands the mixture, finally increasing the compressive strength of the lime.
The mixture + 6kg Lime Paste (Slaked lime) + 4 baandlis M.sand + 1 baandli red soil = Lime Mortar
The mixture + 50 kg of Lime powder (Lime Stone) + Blue metal Jelly stones + M.sand = Lime-Crete used for foundations
Design
The Trench that surrounds the stage like a moat, is designed to collect the run off water from the land and seating, and retain a microclimate beneficial to some of the plants that grow at the lake.
The Stage is an island that can withstand flow of water on it’s sides.
The Honge tree is to be protected and nurtured over time, to provide shade
The Seating made of bricks will be finished with Lime - Red oxide plaster.
The Water collected will overflow at the deep end, into a Bamboo Grove.
Amphitheatre Plan
The Amphitheater is for the public to have a platform for any cultural event or knowledge sharing.
Plastering the Stage Wall
The first coat was the Lime Plaster (mix with soil) ensuring even level as a scratch coat. On top of that, a coat of Lime Paste mixed with M.sand was plastered for that soft and smooth feel.
Stage Flooring
With the slope slight and maintained, broken bricks filled up the first layer. Whatever soil was dug out to make the trench helped fill in all the gaps in this layer. Lime-crete was poured on top and we packed it further. The same plastering method for the stage wall was implemented for the final leveling of the stage floor.
The Seating
The Seating reflected the curve of the stage, and consists of 3 seats. The 27” seat is 18” brick (the seat) and 9” soil (to plant later). Many changes were made on site to experiment with the filler material, which proved that Jelly/Gravel with lime mortar being the core of the structure was ideal for strength.
The Amphitheater
A total of 3 weeks and the structure 90% complete. Now we cure for 90 days, which is the process that is most important to sustain the structures life.