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Miniature marvels

Care for a walk along the Great Wall of China, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Hawa Mahal? Head to Race Course, writes K. JESHI

PHOTOS: M. PERIASAMY

NOW IN TOWN The Red Fort.

Here's one more reason for the growing number of fitness freaks to take a stroll on Race Course — to catch a glimpse of history.

Miniature models of the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Red Fort and the Hawa Mahal, among others, stand tall on the lawns, leaving walkers spellbound.

Beautification of this 2.5 km walking path, a project initiated by Anil Meshram, the former commissioner of Coimbatore Corporation, has given the stretch new gardens, landscaping and an array of wonders, Indian and foreign that leave regular walkers in awe.

Have you ever noticed the cross-like structure at the top of Eiffel Tower and wondered what it represented?

A trip to Paris

K. Hari, proprietor of Sunmac Enterprises, which has constructed its miniature, will tell you why.

"In an image on the Internet, it looked like a tomb symbolising Islam; from another angle it represented a cross. After browsing through the history of the tower, we located the original drawings of the Eiffel engineers and learnt that it was a lightning conductor — a structure constructed on tall buildings to divert lightning to the ground."

The original 169 ft, 10,000-tonne structure was scaled down to a height of 11 ft and a 125-kg fabrication structure using mild steel mesh.

The Great Wall of China.

Care has been taken to retain the originality of the structure, including the designs on the inner side. "Even with a minor mistake, it will end up looking like a telecom tower. We also got to learn about the engineering technique used in its construction. For instance, that floral designs are used on the arch to strengthen the structure and not just for aesthetics," he adds.

World tour

Col (Retd.) A. Sridharan of Covai Property Centre, who has set up the miniature of the Great Wall of China, says the miniature of a world wonder is a matter of pride for the city.

Besides, it also stops people from dumping waste and plastic in open spaces.

"Every one does not get an opportunity to visit these places. So, watching the replicas from close quarters is, in itself, a satisfying experience. It also introduces children to history," he adds.

Granite stones (sized and unsized) were specially sourced from quarries in Kinathukadavu to give shape to the Great Wall.

Lending age

"We went in for slightly older stones to get the original effect," he adds. The 6000-km wall that runs across the northern part of Beijing with various passes and towers is now confined here to a 100-metre stretch.

It took the miniature Red Fort, constructed by Ramani Realtors, two months to get its look.

"Brick and cement have been used and the outer surface coated with emulsion. Though it looks bright now, in a few years, it will sport a faded look, like the original. The top mould involved temple architecture, so a sculptor worked on it," says S. N. Dhanvanth, purchase engineer of Ramani Builders.

Leaning right

The Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The white marble Leaning Tower of Pisa, the object of everyone's attention because of its inclination and impeccable beauty, rises majestically on the lawns as a 14-ft structure with a 13-inch inclination.

Explains R. Viswanathan, manager, Viswanathan & Co Engineers and Builders: "The height of the original tower is 152 ft with a 52-ft diameter and a 13-ft, 10-inch inclination. The miniature tower was built as a vertical structure and successfully inclined five degrees south using `washable sand wedge technology'."

He says such monuments, apart from adding a touch of beauty, also educate the younger generation.

S. Annamalai, the architectural design maker of the Red Fort, the Tower of Pisa and the intricate Hawa Mahal, says replicating minute carvings and designs on miniature models was a challenge as "we just had photographs for reference."

The 2.5-km stretch on Race Course was divided into 25 segments of 100 metres each for beautification. "Private sponsors, builders, NGOs, corporate houses and institutions were invited to develop each stretch and 24 sponsors came forward to take up the job. A replica of the Taj Mahal will come up shortly," says A. Lakshmanan, assistant executive engineer of Coimbatore Corporation.

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