One of the notable advancements of late 19th-early 20th century British India was the introduction of ‘western-style’ medical care for women. Located within confines of the colonial or princely enclaves, a number of women’s hospitals, staffed with trained British female doctors, were established under the Dufferin Fund. But the benefits of medicalised childbirth did not extend to commonplace Indian women. At this point of time, history was also made by certain philanthropic and nationalist individuals who made some pioneering efforts to extend benefits of medicalised childbirth to the vast neglected body of commonplace Indian women.The 48-bedded Banarsi Dass Hospital for Women, built in 1922 within the dense urban fabric of Ambala Cantonment, is one of the earliest of such pioneering structures. The architectural value of the building as seen in its ingenious spatial organization was devised to ensure generous access to sun and air, ensured thermal comfort in all seasons, a construction system representative of the era, and various ornamental elements that proclaim its ‘monumental’ status adds to its unique historic significance. Though the building is still in a good physical and structural condition, the advancement in medical world has rendered its infrastructure obsolete.In the present scenario, we tend to lose a significant landmark of 20th century development in India. This paper presents an analysis of the historic, societal and architectural value of the property, the reasons for its disuse and the design interventions proposed to restore the original societal and architectural status of this majestic historic building.

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The spatial transformations can be observed at different religious-historic towns of India due to urbanization. Research is based upon fact that there is substantial change in the built environment because of spatial transformations at the religious-historic towns. The process of modernization in the functions and spatial layout is unavoidable at any historic town. The study attempts to focus on various urban historic conservation components, including the look of historic buildings, their earlier uses, and its immediate surroundings to improve the built environment of historic towns. A theoretical framework for the urban conservation of ancient towns is the main objective of study. How to modernize the historic conservation function while preserving the space's texture and integrity. The research started with the investigation of the morphological growth of Mathura district, India through satellite images and in-depth study of the evolution process of street network in Vrindavan town, which is one of the main temple towns of Mathura district. There is a significant difference in the layout & architectural character of old part and the newly developed Vrindavan. Due to increased accessibility and movement, the spatial structure of traditional religious precincts, which were once local integration centres, has significantly changed. Increasing & changing mode of transportation and further increase in the religious tourism might be the cause or a big reason for the spatial transformations and correspondingly there is a challenge to conserve & preserve the religious precincts of historic towns. The study tries to analyze spatial transformations with the help of Historical GIS at different scales of urban form. Suggestive measures to conserve the environmental ambience of religious-historic towns are the outcome of the research.

Significant changes in the architectural character of traditional buildings have led to various issues of difference in imageability. Thus there is difficulty in identifying the specific characteristic of heritage values of the past context. Lack of appropriate guidelines and poor awareness of the importance of heritage among property owners and authorities has led to unplanned development/growth, spoiling the overall ambience of the place. The socio-legal perspective is also a very crucial aspect that researchers often study in isolation. However, the contextual interpretation of the law often defines and defends socio-cultural boundaries. Hence, understating legal viewpoints in such a situation can aid in the informed decision-making process.

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