Location: Gorakhpur Link Expressway

Principal Architect: Anmol Yogleela

Design Team: Rajarshi Sagar, Pranali M Chiplunkar & Ujwal Mehra

An example of Modern Vedic Architecture, the Gorakhpur Link Expressway Toll Plazas have been designed to bring in the grace of Lord Adinatha upon everyone who is moving on the expressway. These Toll Gates have a huge Vault-shaped canopy inspired by Adiyogi Allayam in Coimbatore, the vault is flanked by a symbol that represents Lord Adinatha and gives the users a glimpse of Gorakhpur city being blessed by Lord Adinatha’s grace. Gorakhpur is the land of Nath-Sampradaya which happens to be the originator of Hatha Yoga, ‘Ha’ means Sun and ‘Tha’ means Moon. This aspect of the amalgamation of Sun and Moon has been incorporated in our design using a symbol which can also be seen in the project’s logo. The Toll Booths have triangular openings similar to the symbol of Adinatha on the main vault. The overall shape of the toll booth module is also a vault but with perforations and the main toll booth module is itself triangular in shape. Vaults and Triangular roofs have no tensile forces and they stand merely because of their form, such structures, as stated by Sadhguru are meditative in nature and are much better for human beings than flat-slabs or irregular forms.

Expressway Lights have been designed to give an illusion of a Temple Shikhara, a simple yet extraordinary arrangement of tilted lights will give the passengers an experience of moving through an array of Temple Shikaras. This is inspired by the Architecture of Gorakhnath Temple where the devotees circulate under a collection of Shikharas in the Temple premise, to imbibe a similar experience on the expressway we have designed the expressway lights with this simple yet unique notion.