Spaces_is8

SPACES JAN-FEB 2006 1

2 JAN-FEB 2006 SPACES

asian paints 


JAN - FEB 2006 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 

CONTENTS 

ARCHITECTURE 

22 Reflections of an Inspirational 

School 

It is acclaimed as the highest public school 

in the world. At 182 years now, this school 

has become an institute of substance. 

Besides its obvious merits in the field of 

academic excellence, it also is bestowed 

with a distinctive architectural character. 

HERITAGE 

58 Conservation at Changu Narayan 

In 1979, Changu Narayan was named one 

of the Seven World Heritage Sites in 

Nepal. In 2003, it, along with the other six, 

were placed under the List of World 

Heritage Sites in Danger. Redevelopment 

efforts are helping to redeem lost glory, 

but more needs to be done. Not least of 

all, conservation through guided 

development. 

PROFILE 

45 Building Bridges And More 

He is possibly the foremost structural 

engineer in the country. His experience is 

vast, and his knowledge, exemplary. In his 

lifetime, he has been consultant to 

numerous architectural and engineering 

firms, and he has a long list of successfully 

finished projects ranging from stupas to 

schools and industries to bridges. 

St. Paul’s - See Page 22 

ART 

14 Soulfully Yours 

Her paintings are described as ‘lyrical’ and 

this is as it should be for an artist who is 

also a poetess. Calm, composed and with 

a deep magnanimity, she is a soulful 

doyen of the Nepalese art scene. 

CRAFT 

43 Traditional Bricks 

In the Valley, art and architecture 

flourished during the Malla period and 

most constructions were done using 

traditional bricks. These bricks had a 

uniqueness all of their own and happily, 

are still being used quite extensively for 

their lovely ethnic touch. 

INTERIOR 

62 Designer’s Home 

Do designers practise what they preach? 

We take an in-depth look at one designer’s 

home and workplace. We are pleased to 

report that this one does. 

REPORT 

52 Post Modern Buildings in the Valley 

Post-modern architecture has emerged 

not only to rectify mistakes of modern 

architecture, but also to provide a fresh 

perspective on environmental design 

focusing on human component and 

fulfilling socio-economic needs. But the 

Valley’s growing new trend of construction 

has failed to acknowledge this. 

TRENDS 

36 Preserving Tradition With Terracotta 

Its contribution to preservation of heritage 

sites is to be lauded. Not only that, growing 

interest by homeowners to opt for ethnic 

designs is keeping this leading 

manufacturer of traditional terracotta 

building materials very busy indeed. 

TIPS 

72 Disaster Management 

It would be a good idea to take these tips 

from Ward Number 17 Disaster 

Management Committee as a holy grail, 

specially with the recent destructive 

earthquakes in the region fresh on 

everybody’s mind. 



EDITORIALCONTRIBUTORS 

“Monti Meliora Sequamur” 

(Having been taught, we follow the better) 

- Motto of St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling 

Schools are, and will always, be an important part of our 

lives. The type of education and knowledge they impart, and 

the surroundings in which we spend most of our childhood, 

leaves a lasting impression on young receptive minds. 

Darjeeling, famous for its tea and schools, has no doubt 

sculpted quite a few personalities of Nepal. In this issue, 

architect Sarosh Pradhan visits his alma mater St. Paul’s after 

25 years and reminisces on this 182-year-old ‘inspirational 

school’. 

Architects design houses for people, shaping their 

environment based on their requirements and needs. The 

vision and perception necessary to translate it into reality 

depends upon, and is, paramount to the architect’s skill and 

expertise. So what happens when the designer himself wields 

the stick and designs his own home? We feature in this issue 

the living and working environment of architect Bibhuti Man 

Singh who likes to describe his design of the Nepalese pavilion 

in Expo 2000 Hanover as ‘Cozy, confident, composure amidst 

contemporary concerns’- a philosophy that probably reflects 

on all his design works. 

The recent earthquakes in Kashmir and the mountainous 

Hindu Kush region bordering Pakistan has jolted us again 

from our slumber. In fact, a friend’s remark on the earthquake 

was simply “It’s getting nearer!!” Yes, it sure is - if that is 

how one wants to understand it. 

But what next? Do we just wait for doomsday? 

Or do we act now? 

Wishing you all a Happy New Year 2006. 

Dr. Bijaya K. Shrestha, Ph D, is an Associate Professor in the 

Department of Architecture at Nepal Engineering College. He 

has been propogating the need for a greater sense of 

responsibility so that the skyline of Kathmandu does not become 

distorted beyond redemption. 

Purusottam Dangol is a Superintendent 

Architect in the Dept. of Urban 

Development and Building Construction. 

He has a Master’s degree in Geo- 

Information for Urban Planning. Dangol has 

been involved in designing various types 

of government buildings and is also 

involved in Temple Architecture in the 

Kathmandu valley. 

Sarosh Pradhan takes a trip down memory 

lane and finds himself in Darjeeling. A long 

overdue visit to his Alma Mater, St. Paul’s 

School, featured at the top of his itinerary. 

In this issue he pens down his reflections 

accompanied by the beautiful pictures he 

managed to capture with his camera. 

Neelam Pradhananga is a final year 

student of Architecture at Khwopa 

Engineering College. She is interested in 

urban planning, urban design and 

conservation. Her articles have been 

published in several newspapers, 

magazines and journals. She was one of 

the winners of the VOW 2004 Top Ten 

College Women Competition. 

Niranjan Shrestha claims to be a dreamer 

who dares to dream the undreamt. A true 

Scorpio, he is passionate about art and life. 

This young architect believes that by 

changing our dwellings we can change our 

thoughts and by changing our thoughts we 

can change the world. 



LETTERS 

MANAGING EDITOR 

Uday Sunder Shrestha, B.E 

OUTSTANDING 

I am a regular reader of your magazine SPACES, which I think is an 

OUTSTANDING output from Spaces Team for people like us. From the 

time I read the first issue, I wanted to be a part of it, but somehow I couldn’t 

manage it. 

To tell you something about myself, I am an Interior Designer and I have 

been in this field since 1993 as an Architectural Assistant and since 1998, as 

a Designer. I have worked under various Architectural Firms and right now 

am working as a free lancer. My query is - how I can be a part of your 

magazine? 

I would like to request you to give me your suggestions on this. 

Looking forward to hearing from you, 

With warm Regards 

Ranjani Vajracharya 

CONRAGULATIONS AND THANK YOU 

Firstly, we would like to congratulate you on yet another outstanding issue. 

Your coverage on art, architecture and design indeed makes for diverse and 

interesting issues, and this is no different. 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to you and your magazine 

‘Spaces’ for publishing our article, “Flirting with Convention through Culture 

of Opposition” in you latest issue (Nov-Dec 2005). This has truly been an 

invaluable experience for the both of us, and has given a tremendous amount 

of encouragement at this early stage of our careers. We are eagerly looking 

forward to readers’ response to the article. 

In our opinion, Spaces has been a very important revelation to our 

Architectural fraternity and has given voice to the much need architectural 

academia within our country and it can continue to nurture the various 

aspects of architectural theory in the days to come. 

We are looking forward to our continued association in the future. We have 

a few ideas about how we would like to take writing about architecture 

forward and are looking forward to writing for your magazine or working 

with you in the days to come. 

Best wishes 

Sincerely, 

Swasti Bhattarai 

Kamana Dhakhwa 

PUBLIC RELATIONS 

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LAYOUT DESIGN 

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ADMINISTRATION / ACCOUNTS 

Sanjay Shrestha 

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IFB 


NEWS & HAPPENINGS 

FIRST EVER CIVIL ENGINEERING EXHIBITION 

The first ever Civil Engineering 

Exhibition held at IOE, Pulchowk, was 

inaugurated on 17 th Nov 2005 by Dr. 

Rajendra Suwal, Member of National 

Planning Commission. The inauguration 

of the three day exhibition, which was 

headed by the President of CESS-Nepal, 

Mohan Dhoja K C, was well attended. The 

NATURE’S FANTASY 

November 18 th to December 2 nd at the Park 

Gallery in Lazimpat saw an art exhibition 

of unusual merit. Claimed to be based on 

Oriental Art Techniques, twenty four works 

of Hare Ram ‘Joju’ were exhibited under 

the title, ‘Nature’s Fantasy’. The paintings 

varied from 28x38 cm. to 92x152 cm. in 

size and were priced accordingly, ranging 

from Rs. 15,000 for the smallest to Rs. 

95,000 for the largest. Hare Ram “Joju’ , 

43, has been exhibiting his works since 

1982 and has been the recipient of various 

awards from 1983 to 1997. His last 

exhibition was ‘100 Images of Nepal’ in 

Seoul, South Korea. 

His latest offering, ‘Nature’s Fantasy’ 

deserves credit mainly for the unusual style 

whereby classical monochromatic works 

have been created based on what the artist 

claims to be, ‘Oriental Art Techniques’. 

Mostly, somber colours like ochre, umber, 

brown and black have been used on white 

canvas resulting in paintings that are 

subdued in hue but somewhat invigorating 

in attitude. Besides, ‘Joju’ has succeeded in 

creating clever textural effects which 

further add to the uniqueness. One could 

Dean and the Assistant Dean of IOE, the 

Campus Chief and the Assistant Campus 

Chief of Pulchowk Campus, fifteen Senior 

Professors of the Civil Department and 

the chiefs of various faculties, teachers and 

journalists, as well as students participated 

in the opening session of the program. In 

the latter half of the program, CESS- 

Nepal felicitated the dedicated professors 

who have devoted their lives towards the 

success of their students. The guests, 

which also included students and faculty 

from other engineering colleges, were then 

taken on a tour of the stalls which were 

viewed with much interest. On exhibition 

were thirty different stalls related to civil 

engineering discipline with enthusiastic 

participation from manufacturing 

companies, research oriented institutions, 

various NGO’s & INGO’s and the general 

even say that ‘Joju’s’ paintings are an artistic 

depiction of black and white paintings but 

with the added benefit of an artist’s liberal 

expressionism that further the scope and 

dimension of the subject rendered, that 

is, nature. S 

public. All civil engineering related 

laboratories were exhibited, wherein 

demonstration of various instruments 

were displayed. The overwhelming 

participation of more than twenty 

thousand individuals was the result of 

enthusiastic cooperation of virtually every 

civil engineering student and not just the 

sole effort of CESS-Nepal. S 

UNESCO 2005 

ASIA-PACIFIC HERITAGE AWARDS 

A total of 34 entries from 11 countries in 

the Asia-Pacific region were submitted for 

this year’s Heritage Awards. These include 

six religious buildings, ten institutions, eight 

residential buildings, four commercial 

projects, two industrial buildings, three 

urban conservation programmes and one 

historic structure. The Award of 

Excellence was won by Houkeng Timber- 

Arched Corridor Bridge of China while 

the second place went to Dr. Bhau Daji 

Lad Museum of India. Distinction Awards 

went to Sideng Market Square of Yunan, 

China and Theatre and Mehrangarh Fort 

of Rajasthan, India. 

Ayuguthi Sattal of Lalitpur, Nepal, 

received an Award of Merit along with St. 

Joseph’s Chapel and Tung Wah Coffin 

Home (Hong Kong), Amburiq Mosque 

(Pakistan) and Dutch Reformed Church 

(Sri Lanka). The inaugural Heritage Awards 

Jury Commendation for Innovation was 

awarded to the Meridian Gate Exhibition 

Hall of the Palace Museum, Beijing, China 

and Yuhu Primary School and Community 

Centre, Lijiang, China. S 


Yak & Yeti 


NEWS & HAPPENINGS 

‘CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE’ & ‘CUSTOMER CARE’ FROM PARRYWARE 

Parryware, part of the Rs.6200 crore 

Murugappa Group, is the only sanitaryware 

manufacturer in India to have been 

conferred with the ‘Superbrand’ status. On 

6 th December 2005, the company in 

association with its dealer partner, Classica 

Sanitaryware and Trade Concern, 

launched a new Sanitaryware Showroom 

in Kathmandu. Showcasing a wide range 

of premium bathroom products including 

taps and fittings, vitreous sanitaryware, anti 

microbial seat covers and electronic 

flushing systems, the showroom has been 

envisioned as one that will enhance 

‘Customer Experience’. Located at 

Tripureshwor, the showroom was 

inaugurated by K.E. Ranganathan, CEO, 

Parryware, and is a step forward in the 

company’s efforts to provide total 

bathroom solutions in the Capital. 

Parryware, which claims to have 40% 

market share in India, is going ahead with 

an aggressive marketing strategy in Nepal 

as well. 

According to R.S. Sharma, proprietor of 

Classica, “The secret of Parryware’s 

outstanding success lies in their focus on 

On 9th December 2005, Pest Control 

Nepal and Bayer Cropscience Ltd., 

India, hosted a cocktail dinner on the 

launching of ‘Premise’, a new generation 

termiticide. The occasion was well attended 

by more than sixty pessionals including 

government officials, engineers and 

architects. An interesting presentation on 

termites and termiticides preceded the 

cocktails. Experts on the subject from Bayer 

Cropscience introduced the company’s new 

product, ‘Premise’, and highlighted the 

comaparative advantages of the new 

generation termiticide. ‘Premise’ has been 

claimed to break through the ‘repellant 

barrier’ mentality and allow specialists to get 

the best results at minimal dose rates. 

Unlike conventional termiticides, ‘Premise’ 

creates a non-repellant Treated Zone in the 

working closely 

with dealer 

partners”. 

Certainly, the 

inauguration of 

the showroom by 

the CEO himself 

substantiates this 

point. The next 

day, on 7 th 

December, a first 

of its kind 

Customer Care 

Centre in Teku was 

also inaugurated by 

the CEO. The 

Centre will be run by Sanjeev Kanwar 

and will offer annual contracts for 

maintenance of Bathrooms by 

Parryware including a special contract 

for flats and housing societies. Further, 

the Centre’s range of services will also 

include Complaint Resolution within 48 

hours, Customized Designing and 

Redesigning of Bathrooms, Products 

Installation and Bathroom Renovation. 

The CCC offers 6 months warranty 

LAUNCH OF ‘PREMISE’ 

-A NEW GENERATION TERMITICIDE 

soil that functions as 

a killing field. 

Termites cannot 

detect presence of 

‘Premise’ and get 

exposed to lethal 

doses. Such 

termites then stop 

feeding and 

b e c o m e 

dysfunctional. In 

addition, they 

transfer its 

debilitating effects 

by contact to nest 

mates, thus 

causing reduction 

in population. S 

against functional defects and one of the 

major benefits is obviously that genuine 

spares are guaranteed. 

According to CEO Ranganathan, “Today 

customers seek a one step solution for 

bathroom renovation and maintenance. 

This facility assists customers in addressing 

their bathroom needs at an affordable price 

and in a hassle free manner.” The company 

has 14 such centres across India. S 



art 

Soulfully Yours 

Text: G.Shrestha 

“I was specially delighted with it because this was the time when I tried 

to divert from using deep colours to more of pastel shades, speciallymore 

of white ” 

Merging With Nature 


She says she gets quite excited when a painting of hers turns 

out really well. “I like to share my joy and call some of my 

friends to look at it.” Shashikala Tiwari, doyen of Nepal’s 

art world, is as unpretentious as they come, and as down to 

earth. One of her works, bought by a Japanese collector, 

fetched the princely sum of $10000. “I think only one other 

painting - by Lain Singh Bangdel - was sold for a higher 

price in Nepal- for about $15000,” she says. “But that was 

after his demise, so possibly, my painting was a record in 

itself for a living artist.” 

One of her all time favourites is ‘Merging With Nature’, 

completed in 1988. “I was specially delighted with it because 

this was the time when I tried to divert from using deep 

colours to more of pastel shades, 

specially - more of white,” Indeed, a 

viewer cannot but be impressed with this 

painting and can easily understand why 

the soulful artist is so attached to it. 

‘Merging With Nature’ shows a woman 

of lovely proportions (this, a regular 

feature in many of her works), clad in a 

white accoutrement further emphasizing 

her feminine curves - out in the open, 

seemingly at one with nature even when 

being buffeted by the powerful gusts of 

a strong wind. The painting succeeds 

admirably in portraying a sense of the 

sensuality of a sublime feminine form 

caressed by nature, and the woman, in 

turn, blissfully ecstatic in the experience. 

It is, in other words, soulfully sensuous 

in content. 

It is perhaps a rule of nature that people 

are wont to compensate. Shashikala was 

born in 1950 to Tej Raj and Premi Devi 

Tiwari. The father who was of a liberal 

bent and encouraged his two sons and 

five daughters to pursue education, died 

at the young age of fifty four. The 

mother, happily, is alive and well, and 

hale and hearty for an eighty year old. 

An elder brother, Devendra, and an older 

sister, Vijaya, have passed away. The 

remaining brother, Professor Sudarshan 

Raj Tiwari, a noted Architect and 

Academician, teaches at the Institute of 

Engineering; a sister, Vidhya, lives in 

Ireland, and is a practising doctor while 

another sister, Usha is a Botanist and is 

in Atlanta, USA. Pratima, the youngest, 

is doing her Ph.D in Environment in 

Baltimore in the US. Except for Pratima, 

all her living siblings are married and with 

“One should be free in one’s thinking. It is 

all in the mind and has very little to do with 

the physical aspects.” 

families. So, and specially after considering her fame, fortune and 

personality, one has to be forgiven for being a little curious for 

wondering about her still single status. 

She is straightforward in her reply, and even laughs about it. 

Thankfully, she doesn’t mind the query as some others 

undoubtedly would have.. “The most obvious answer is, maybe I 

couldn’t find a suitable soul mate?” she replies quizzically. “Of 

course I do have friends, some of whom are quite intimate, but 

as for marriage, I honestly think I never could find a person who 

would be perfect for me.” This, then, is one of the problems in 

the artist’s life. “You know, here it is quite difficult to find people 

one can relate to on a certain level. Specially the intellectual one.” 

It is obvious that Shashikala, a reputed artist who has traveled 

the globe, and hob-nobbed with great personalities of equally 

great fame, finds herself in rather shallow waters within the 

confines of her present day society. It is also obvious that she 

seeks much more, and substantially so. That is why she admits, 

“I don’t like crowds and prefer not to attend many functions. 

Even if I have to go I make it a point to reach after most others 

have left.” 

Shashikala desires to live a simple life and says she is particular 

about her eating habits. Possibly, this could be one of the reasons 

for her state of health, which by all accounts, is pretty good. She 

loves to walk and doesn’t let go of the opportunity to go on long 


art 

walks when so favoured. She likes 

travel, is fond of nature, and likes 

to while away time with kids. Her 

studio, nearby her two storied 

house, overlooks acres of greenery 

within the premises of her 

compound in Bishalnagar. “I bring 

a lot of plants and such and dump 

them in the garden.. I don’t 

actually do the gardening- my 

brother is better at that- but I do 

enjoy the environment.” This love 

of nature has motivated the artist 

to paint a whole series of works 

on canvases titled ‘Fallen Leaves’, 

‘Flowers’, ‘Harvest Leaves’ and 

‘Monsoon’. Shashikala is currently 

at work on a series of a different 

sort-that of the famed Meera 

which she has titled as ‘Bhakti 

Series’. She has also done a series 

of paintings on the subjects of 

Ganesha and Krishna. 

Shashikala did her early schooling 

from Mahendra Bhawan and Kanya Mandir , then attended 

college at Ratna Rajya for some time. She received her Bachelor 

in Fine Arts in 1973 from M.S. University, Baroda, and earned a 

Bachelor of Arts degree from Tribhuvan University in the same 

year. The artist also has a Diploma in French Language which 

she received in 1975 from TU. Presently, she works in the Design 

Section of the Department of Printing under Communications 

Ministry, where in fact she has worked since 1977. “I have a fine 

job which does not interfere with my painting,” she informs. 

Meera from Bhakti Series 

Meera-Bhakti 

Solitude-1981 

Solitude 

Meera from Meera-Bhakti Series 

“My colleagues are very understanding and supportive.” 

The artist says that she takes a comparatively long time to 

finish each of her works, “On an average, one hundred 

hours.” Maybe because she is so fastidious herself, the 

artist is not so enthusiastic about assembly line - like works 



art 

by some artists. However, she is quite happy with the output of many 

of the upcoming artists. 

From 1970 onwards Shashikala Tiwari has participated in forty-four 

group exhibitions here and abroad, and has had ten solo shows from 

1973 to 2002. The last time her works were on display was in 2005 in 

the Contemporary Art Exhibition organized by Nepal Kalakar Samaj 

at NAFA. Her first solo exhibition at NAFA had been inaugurated by 

Queen Ratna in 1973, and in 1984, her ‘Foot Marks of Peace’, again 

at NAFA, was inaugurated by the late Queen Aishwarya, as was ‘When 

Season’s Change’ at the Nepal Art Council in 1996. In 2002, her ‘Sunnya 

Man Ka Stabdha Aankha Haru’ - a tribute to the late King Birendra 

and his family- was much acclaimed. The exhibition had a collection 

of beautiful and lovingly colored depictions about the royal tragedy. 

Specially moving were works like ‘Na Rittine Aanshoo Haru’, 

‘Aashirbad’, ‘Shraddhanjali’ and ‘Ma Kasharee Udaun Aba’. The artist’s 

poetic talent was also obvious in the lyrical eulogy she had penned on 

the accompanying brochure, and in which Sangeeta Thapa, Curator 

Above: Shashikala Tiwari is as agile today as in 

her younger days. The white hair deceives. 

Left: This work is perhaps akin to a self portrait 

of the artist herself. 

Below: An early work from “When Seasons 

Change” (1996) 

of Siddahartha Art Gallery has written, “ …she is also an accomplished 

poetess. It is precisely this synthesis of literature and art that gives 

Shashikala’s paintings a distinct lyrical style”. 

Shashikala has many admirers, not least of all, within her own artistic 

fraternity, and is looked upon as somewhat of an ideal by aspiring 

painters. It is also natural for many to suppose that Shashikala is to 

some extent a feminist, but no, she is a bit different from the usual 

pack. “What is independence after all?” she asks. “One should be free 

in one’s thinking. It is all in the mind and has very little to do with the 

physical aspects.” About the common desire to excel, this is her view, 

“One should first and foremost be sincere to oneself and one must 

be really dedicated to one’s calling. Then there is no reason why one 

cannot attain success.” Shashikala Tiwari seems to 

be living a life of her own choosing, and that too 

with a great degree of satisfaction. This is evident 

from the way she carries herself – freely given to 

living in the present and with a mind that is tolerant, 

understanding and quite receptive. It is not 

surprising to observe that the artist has a lot of 

composure and a good deal of equanimity. After 

all she has herself attained a great deal in her lifetime 

and so can well afford to be indulgent to the vagaries 

of fellow human beings She has realized a string 

of successes in her preferred field, successes which 



art 

include ‘Echo of Love’ (1982), ‘Harvest 

Leaves’ (1984), ‘Intimacy’ (1987), ‘My 

Earth And Sky’ (1992), and ‘My Earth’ 

(1989) besides the exhibitions already 

mentioned before. Shashikala’s talents, her 

devotion, and her consistent efforts have 

been well recognized. She has been the 

beneficiary of many awards, which, 

among others, have included Best Artist 

Award by NAFA in 1981 and 1984; Best 

Prize awarded by Rastriya Sirjanatmak 

Pariwar in 1984; Best Artist (Countrywise) 

in the International Art Exhibition 

in 1997; Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu in 

2003; Shree Panch Birendra Aishwarya 

Padak ; Rastriya Vyakitwa Samman in 2003 

and the Shree Panch Indra Rajya Laxmi 

Praganya Puraskar bestowed on her by the 

Royal Nepal Academy in 2002. The last 

mentioned has been specially memorable 

to the artist because she donated the full 

Rs.50000 prize money to conflict affected 

people in the country. 

The svelte and petite artist wakes up most 

mornings at the ungodly hour of 3:30 AM 

and walks a couple of miles each day. She 

respects tradition and would like to see 

culture safeguarded. At the same time she 

is not particularly religious, in the sense 

that she is not up to following rituals as 

such and informs, “Neither me nor my 

brother are much for such things, we don’t 

even celebrate our birthdays”. From a 

professional angle, Shashikala Tiwari 

would like to see an increase in the 

numbers of art collectors within the 

Above: Shashikala is a poetess as 

well. 

Above Left & Centre: The artist is 

specially fond of peacocks. 

Left: A painting from the series 

commemorating the Royal Tragedy 

in 2001. 

country which would be what is needed to 

motivate and encourage the fine artists that 

Nepal is blessed with. Simultaneously, she 

is optimistic about the issue and admits, “I 

hear that there are people like Architects 

Deepak and Jyoti Sherchan, Som Prabha 

Shah, Arzu Deuba, Madhuri Singh and the 

Pandeys (Prithvi Bahadur and Pratima) 

who have good art collections. I hope such 

people’s number grows!” S 



St. Paul’s School 

Darjeeling 

reflections of an inspirational school 

Text & Photos: Sarosh Pradhan 


THE JOURNEY 

Afamily decision to visit one’s 

alma mater in the October of 

2005 turns into a reflection 

of an inspirational school. I, 

along with my brother, were students at 

St. Paul’s School in Darjeeling in the early 

80’s. So, 25 years down the road, the urge 

and the curiosity to see one’s space of 

childhood had grown tremendously. 

On arrival, we were welcomed with 

typical Darjeeling weather… that is fog, 

mist, rain, blurred sunlight…hide’n seek 

with Kanchanjunga. The third day was 

paradise…. blue sky and the majestic 

Kanchanjunga overpowering the 

freshness of that feeling of yester years. 

A call to the Rector – Rev. D. A. Howard, 

was immediately reciprocated with an 

invitation for tea at the Rectory. 

HISTORY 

Located 7500 feet above sea level and 

acclaimed as the highest public school 

in the world, the school perhaps was 

formed initially to cater to children of 

Englishmen who were in India in the 

1800’s - thus the label of ‘Eton of the 

East’. As then, it took many shipping 

days to reach England, the need for an 

equivalent, if not better school was felt 

Left: The majestic Kanchanjunga is 

perhaps another reason for inspiring 

students of St. Paul’s School. 

Above: The writer and his family with the 

Rector, Rev. & Mrs. D. A. Howard. 


ARCHITECTURE 

and then planned accordingly in India. The 

origin and early history of this well known 

institution dates as far back as the year 

1823 when John William Ricketts, a 

prominent Anglo-Indian leader, conceived 

the idea of founding a public school to 

meet the needs of the growing Anglo- 

Indian population in Calcutta. ‘The 

Parental Academic Institution’, as it was 

to be known, was established which began 

functioning on 1st May 1823 in a small 

two-storied building at 11 Park Street. 

It was sometime during the end of 1846 

that Bishop Wilson changed its name to 

St. Paul’s, bringing it more closely into 

connection with St. Paul’s Cathedral. In 

Right: Solidity of the strong walls 

define the school’s sturdy character. 

Below: A series of attic windows 

above a columnaded corridor lends 

symmetry and harmony to the school. 

[ 

] 

Home to over 700 students today and at age 

of 182, St. Paul’s has indeed come a long way. 


Courtyard 


Above: The weather playing hide’n seek , 

painting nature’s dynamic painting. 

Right: The Millenium building connected 

with corridors to the other section. 

1863, Bishop Cotton gave consent to transfer the school 

to Jalapahar in Darjeeling. He also decided that the school 

should bear the same name as it did in Calcutta. Sometime 

during 1864, on the large Jalapahar estate, St. Paul’s 

reopened its doors with thirty-one boarders and a few day 

scholars with the Rev. J. C. Nesfield as Rector. 

The first building that constituted the school unfortunately 

does not exist today. It has yielded place to a playing field. 

It is said that its foundation is still vaguely visible after a 

heavy shower. Over the years, a number of estates were 

purchased and merged with the existing school estate, thus 

growing into its present expanse. The New Millenium 

Building, a recent addition to the complex, done by my 

friend, now a well known contemporary architect based in 

Darjeeling - Shasheesh Prasad - maintains the character 

and vocabulary of the place. A new water harvesting 

system, a swimming pool block, an old boys association 

guest house complex etc. are some of the newer planned 

additions. Home to over seven hundred students today 


Hotel 

Shanker 


ARCHITECTURE 

and at the ripe age of one hundred and 

eighty-two years, St. Paul’s has indeed come 

a long way today. 

CHARACTER 

The school motto reads ‘Moniti Meliora 

Sequamur’. It means, ‘Having been taught 

(or advised) we follow the better (or the 

higher) things’. This fairly and concisely 

expresses the purpose of the school. It is 

the school’s aim, first of all to teach the 

boys to distinguish between the important 

and the trivial, between the permanent and 

the transitory, between pure gold and that 

which merely glitters, between the spiritual 

and the temporal. 

I remember my school days, rising on cold 

early mornings and wondering what was 

there beyond these foggy and misty days. 

The character of the school could be stated 

as that of a serene order amidst the natural 

beauty. Built primarily out of stone, the 

school could be characterized as a place 

seeking to establish a strong foundation 

to all the students studying there. I think it 

was here that I started dreaming earlier on 

in my life – cultivating my interest in 

sketching and meandering on the subject 

of art. On reflection, it was the 

subconscious living with nature in a 

disciplined environment that brought out 

awareness in my thoughts. 

Above left: The cricket pavilion on the 

playgrounds. 

Above: Note the distinctive quadrangle 

designed to resemble the British flag. 

Left: Tree lined path leading to the 

basketball courts. 


After a period of twenty-five years, as I 

revisited the various spaces that I used to 

run around in, there was that strangeness 

of scale. ‘Scale’ is a very architectural word, 

but glancing at the bed that I used to sleep 

in – I found it amusing to see how small it 

was. The school remains divided into three 

distinct wings - the Primary Wing, the 

Junior Wing and the Senior Wing. The 

houses in the Primary Wing (Classes 1 to 

5) are all named interestingly and linked 

with the 1st successful expedition to 

Mount Everest in 1953. 

HUNT - named after Lord Hunt - the 

leader of the expedition. 

HILLARY - named after Sir Edmund 

Hillary who climbed Everest in 1953. 

TENZING - named after Tenzing Norgay 

who summitted Mount Everest with Sir 

Edmund Hillary. 

EVEREST - named after the heighest 

mountain itself, Mount Everest. 

The houses in the Junior Wing (Classes 6 

to 8) are named after either great 

benefactors of the school or those old boys 

who have been closely associated with St. 

Paul’s School. 

ANDERSON: named after Sir John 

Anderson - the Governor of Bengal (1933- 


ARCHITECTURE 

1935) who gifted a lot of money to the 

school library. 

BETTEN: named after Mr. Malcolm 

Betten a tea planter and a member of the 

Board of Governors of St. Paul’s School. 

CABLE: named after Lord Cable- an old 

boy of the school and a very generous 

benefactor. 

WESTCOTT - named after Bishop Foss 

Westcott, Chairman of the Board of 

Governors of St. Paul’s School for 35 years. 

The houses in the Senior Wing (Classes 9 

to 12) are named after distinguished 

persons from the British period of Indian 

history. 

Havelock who fought in the 1875 Revolt. 

LAWRENCE - named after Sir Henry 

Lawrence - the British Resident of Punjab 

(1846) who later fought in the 1857 Revolt. 

Above: Site plan of the school. 

Below: The New Millenium Building 

built later to accomodate more 

students and activities. 

CLIVE - named after Lord Robert Clivethe 

first Governor of Bengal. 

HASTINGS - named after Lord Hastingsthe 

Governor General of Bengal from 

1813-1823. 

HAVELOCK - named after General 



ARCHITECTURE 

Above: A section of the school as seen 

from a height. The school itself 

commands a view to die for. 

Below: The distinctve features of all the 

buildings in the school compound attests 

to the enduring values of an age old 

architectural style. 

THE QUADRANGLE 

The Quadrangle in the senior wing stands 

out as a feature which has patches of 

green with a flag mast at the centre. An 

aerial view of these patches confirms the 

efforts of this design to reflect the British 

flag. This used to be a sacred space where 

the students, while walking, could not do 

so with their hands in their pockets. 

The prefects, I remember, could give 

orders to get one’s pockets stitched up 

(literally), and report back – if you were 

seen here loitering with your hands in 

your pocket – even on cold unforgiving 

days. 

Thus, an attempt to relate the school and 

its spaces to the context of the place and 

history is evident all around the area. This 

gives the school a deeper meaning and 

history not withstanding all these years. 



ARCHITECTURE 

Above: The Chapel exterior-in 

harmony with nature. 

Left: The interior elliptical archesserenity 

bringing focus. 

THE CHAPEL 

The chapel remains as a strength of focus 

at one edge of the school. A building which 

architecturally, inspires, could be defined 

as a temple in the school. Built in 1934, in 

memory of a number of old boys who 

served and died in the Great World Wars 

– the building astonishes many for the 

solemn beauty it radiates. 

Through the broad values of Christianity 

and its lessons, I remember it as a place 

that reminded us young souls to do good 

to others and to be good and considerate. 

Simple lessons, followed by an excellent 

choir which sang, joined by the rest of the 

school, is still the real undercurrent of this 

beautiful built form. It is a meeting place, 


a reflection point and a space for all the 

school students and teachers of all sects 

and religions. 

The exterior of the chapel remains as a 

simple form rising out of the earth, as if 

to point towards the majestic 

Kanchanjunga peak in the horizon. Its 

simplistic exteriors contrast with the 

elliptical arched interiors that soar 

heavenwards as you enter the chapel. 

These graceful arches seek to strike a chord 

of beauty and poise immediately when you 

are within the chapel. The rigidity and 

strong symmetry of the rest of the school 

is echoed here contrastingly with a more 

fluid and elegant feeling of calmness and 

godliness. Boys and staff of diverse faiths 

worship together in the chapel. This has 

always been an especially appreciated part 

of the school’s routine. Many an old 

student, in his final analysis of what St. 

Paul’s meant to him as a boy; recollects 

that it is the effect of an inclusive and 

liberal corporate worship in the chapel that 

has remained uppermost in their minds. 

Boys and staff of different faiths share and 

to some extent, officiate, in the experience. 

Many of the Occasional Prayers used in 

the services are, in fact, poems from 

Gitanjali or other works by Rabindranath 

Tagore, or else, quotations from the 

Gathas, Shri. Ramakrishna Paramahansha, 

Swami Vivekananda, the Bhagavad Gita, 

or the Holy Koran. After all, we were 

advised to follow better things. 

Schoolmasters can teach and advise but to 

Above: ‘Scale’ is a very architectural word, 

glancing at the bed I used to sleep in – I 

found it amusing to see how small it was! 

Below: A painting done by the author 

which hangs inside the chapel. 

follow better things involves unremitting 

effort and ceaseless work on the part of 

both the schoolmaster and the scholar. 

Work for its own sake and discipline 

strengthens character and coordinates 

greater driving power and direction to 

man’s efforts. Without these, there can be 

no real following, in brief, the school 

echoes the ethos of Work and Discipline. 

THINGS THAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND 

Before graduating in 1986, I had presented 

a painting I had done, to the school with a 

sense of gratitude for all my wonderful 

years in this beautiful place. It had sparked 

my interest in art and developed me as a 

person. After twenty-five years, it was 

sheer pleasure to see this particular 

painting hanging historically on the chapel 

walls. This appears to be a distinct privilege 

as it is the only painting done by an old 

Paulite that hangs in the school chapel. But 

more so, as we walked down the corridors 

of the school, I realized things had 

changed, people had changed; but as you 

walked around the school, you could sense 

similar marks all over the school in its 

effort to preserve history and perhaps 

spark off its endeavour to remain as a 

school rich in history and tradition. In 

brief, it remains as a place cultivating 

excellence in a majestically beautiful God 

- gifted environment. S 

(I also realized that amongst the changes, the school had been turned into a ‘must visit 

site’ for all tourists visiting Darjeeling, especially after the shooting of the popular hit 

film ‘Main Hoon Naa’ which had Sharukh Khan, Sushmita Sen and the Bollywood 

team dancing away in the quadrangle !! ) 


TRENDS 

PRESERVING HERITAGE WITH 

TERRACOTTA 

“In the rapidly changing building 

scenario in Nepal, veering towards 

modernism and classical Greek and 

Roman architecture, the supply of 

required materials for restoration 

work was almost non-existent.” 

Om Shree Machhindranath Brick 

Factory, Satungal, produces traditional 

design terracotta bricks not only in 

standard versions but also according to 

customized orders. This factory is among 

the leading traditional brick manufacturers, 

as well as the largest in the country, and 

its contribution towards preservation of 

traditional, historical and indigenous 

building materials is to be appreciated. 

Established in 1980 in response to the 

rising demand to meet the needs of 

restoring heritage sites and buildings of 

cultural, historical and religious 

importance, the company has played an 

instrumental role in this important task. 

The idea for setting up such a factory was 

born out of the experience of the MD, 

Tirtha Lal Maharjan, who spent a 

considerable part of his working life at the 

Department of Archaeology where he was 

exposed to various restoration projects in 

the country. According to him, “In the 

rapidly changing building scenario in 

Nepal, veering towards modernism and 

classical Greek and Roman architecture, the 

supply of required materials for restoration 

work was almost non-existent.” He was 

also aware that the major areas to be 

worked upon during restoration were the 

rotting woodwork, worn clay as well as 

damaged stonework and, in fact, traditional 

carved bricks could even replace woodwork 

and stonework if manufactured with 

diligent care. 

Creating ethnic ambience with Dachi-apa and Telia Tiles 

The factory is situated at Dudhikot in 

Thimi and has its distinctive looking 


Koteswor Dandi 

Pasal 


showroom in Naya Baneswar where, in 

addition to the façade, even the interiors 

of the office and showroom have been 

done using terracotta building materials. 

The organization has grown rapidly and 

has five sister concerns producing normal 

bricks besides terracotta materials. While 

Tirtha Lal looks after overall management, 

his brothers, Hira Kazi and Biki, oversee 

production. According to Tirtha Lal’s son, 

Bikash, “We are the pioneers in this field 

and our manufacturing capacity is about 

five million bricks per annum.” The 

organization employs well above six 

hundred employees during the season and 

has a permanent roll of skilled labourers 

in its ranks. Bikash is quite upbeat about 

the business and says, “We have had very 

Above: Who wouldn’t love having 

such a Dhunge-Dhara in his home? 

Below left: Such fine looking pillars 

and walls are only possible with 

Dachi-apa. 

Below right: The Welcome Gate at 

Kupondole. 


HIMALAYAN WOO\D 

CARVING 


TRENDS 

good business in Bhaktapur and Lalitpur 

while the Kathmandu business is rapidly 

growing.” He adds, “We owe a lot to the 

late Dwarika Das Shrestha who used a 

lot of our products while constructing 

the internationally famous Dwarika’s 

Village Hotel.” 

Terracotta bricks have a long history of 

some 3000 years as is proven by the 

architectural monuments, temples, water 

spouts, durbar squares, bahals and 

Vihars throughout the Valley that have 

been built using traditional materials. In 

recent days too, terracotta with high 

ornamental value such as the ones with 

normal ones. While Dwarika’s Hotel has 

been one of their bigger projects, the most 

recent one on which the company is busy 

right now, is the Anti-corruption office 

building in Bhatbhateni. Om Shree 

Machindranath Brick Factory has 

numerous outstanding works to its credit. 

Some such projects where the company 

has been involved include the Welcome 

Gate in Kupondole, Traffic Islands in the 

city, Baber Mahal Revisited, RONAST 

building gate, Army HQ in Tundikhel and 

hotels like International Guest House, 

Kantipur Temple House, Narayani Hotel, 

Fulbari Resort (Pokhara), Hotel Shangrila 

and Hotel Soaltee. 

Restoration works obviously have been on 

top of the agenda and have included Patan 

ABOVE: A section of the company’s 

office in Naya Baneswor. 

RIGHT: The traditionally designed 

facade of the firm’s showroom. 

BELOW: Timeless solidity is an integral 

part of any work done with traditional 

building materials. 

Durbar Square, Basantpur Square and 

Budanilkantha Temple. Bikash is also 

pleased to inform that they have done 

work on quite a number of residences in 

Kathmandu and is optimistic that, “there 

is a welcome and growing interest by 

homeowners to use more of traditional 

terracotta materials while building new 

houses as well as while renovating.” 

deep copper color, unique texture, size, 

shape and pattern style are gaining 

renewed popularity and are being used 

in many new houses. The bricks are 

manufactured with a special mix of a 

variety of highly elastic clay found in the 

valley, molded to specifications, 

manually compacted to a specific density 

and moisture content before being fired 

in a kiln achieving a temperature of 

around 900 degrees Celsius. 

Besides the obviously aesthetical value 

of using traditional building materials, 

another pertinent benefit is the doing 

away with the need to use plaster and 

paint. Besides, terracotta bricks are said 

to be at least two times stronger than 



TRENDS 

The organization has a significant export 

business in countries like Japan, Austria, 

Germany, Netherlands, USA, Singapore 

and the United Kingdom. Within the 

country, the firm has done work in most 

major cities including Lumbini, Gorkha, 

Birganj, Biratnagar and Pokhara. “Many 

hotels outside the Capital are interested 

in using our products,” says Bikash. And, 

“The renovation of Gorkha Durbar 

entailed substantial work.” 

One project that has won widespread 

acclaim, and in which the company was 

deeply involved, has been the Bodhi 

Bagaicha in Japan that was completed in 

April 2004. Naturally, when so much 

work has been done and with so much 

emphasis on preserving glorious Nepali 

architecture, awards cannot be far behind. 

In addition to numerous felicitations 

within the country by various 

organizations, this year, on the 25 th of 

April, Tirtha Lal Maharjan was awarded 

the prestigious 17 th International 

Construction Award at the New 

Top: Om Shree Machhindranath’s own 

offices have such beautiful interiors. 

Above: Finely detailed terracotta work is 

a result of exquisite carving skills. 

Below: Inside the Patan Museum. 

Millenium Awards Ceremony by the Trade 

Leaders Club and Editorial Offices in 

Madrid, Spain. 

Om Shree Machhindranath Brick 

Factory is indeed an important 

contributor to preserving heritage and an 

important player in the upkeep of culture 

and tradition. Besides, such traditional and 

labour intensive industries help in 

supporting community development 

activities and raising the socioeconomic 

standards of the poor. 

SISTER CONCERNS: 

Shree Dakshin Barahi Brick Factory 

Shree Loknath Brick Factory 

Shree Dakshin Barahi Kalatmak Ceramics 

Shree Machhindranath Kalatmak Ceramics 

Shree Machhindranath Surki Udhyog S 


CRAFT 

TRADITIONAL BRICKS 

OF KATHMANDU VALLEY 

Text & Photos: Purusottam Dangol 

Since ancient times, bricks have always 

been the most common building element 

used for construction works. Moulded 

from clay usually in rectangular shapes, 

they are burnt in kilns to make them hard 

and compact. Fired bricks have been found 

to have been used in the Indus valley 

civilization and recent archaeological 

excavations at the Mayadevi temple site at 

Lumbini have shown brick foundations of 

a large Brikshya Griha temple dating prior 

to the third century B.C. Similarly, the 

excavation at Satya Narayan temple at Hadi 

Gaon in Kathmandu shows evidence of 

brick construction in Kathmandu Valley 

during the second century B.C. 

In the Kathmandu Valley, art and 

architecture flourished during the Malla 

period. Most constructions of private 

dwellings, temples, stupas, water conduits, 

wells, etc. were done using bricks. and 

depending upon the importance of the 

The excavation at Satya Narayan temple at Hadi Gaon 

in Kathmandu shows evidence of brick construction 

in Kathmandu Valley during the second century B.C. 

structure, different types of bricks 

were used either as structural/ 

non-structural elements or for 

decorative purposes. This 

extensive use of bricks from 

ancient times could have been due 

to easy availability of a variety of 

clay, more flexibility in casting to 

desired shape and size, and its 

workability. 

TRADITIONAL PROCEDURE 

FOR CASTING DACHI-APA 

Gray clay is seasoned for a period 

of 3 to 4 days in a pit 1 to 2 meters deep. 

Lumps of clay are then taken from the pit; 

Above: Cornice with 12 layers of moulded 

& decorated bricks (Ba-apa pa) in 

Mahadeva Temple of a Shivalaya at 

Pachalighat. 

Below: Moulded and Decorated bricks in 

Tin Daval at Pachali. 

fine sand is added (1:8) and is kneaded 

properly with the help of water. The bricks 

are then cast into conical moulds with the 

bed faces smoothened with viscous clay 

and are left to dry in the sun for few days. 

By this time, the bricks get sufficiently hard 

but are still sticky. They are then taken out 

of the mould and are kept under straw to 

prevent them from further drying. 

Finishing work of the brick ruffian is then 

done in six steps: the ruffians are first put 

on a block of wood, compressed with a 

mallet and cut to size with a knife. It is 

then put into another mould with a slightly 

curved iron edged opening and beaten with 

a stick to compress the face. The face is 

then cut with a knife and smoothened with 

a stick or stone. Finally the face is swept 


with a red clay coat using a straw broom 

and a second smoothening is done after 

the first coat has dried. The mould is then 

pushed down and the finished ruffian kept 

in the sun to dry for about two weeks. The 

sun-dried ruffian is then placed in the 

middle of the kiln for 44 hours to ensure 

an even firing. 

The size of bricks of the Malla period 

ranges from 20cm x 10cm x 4.5cm to 30cm 

x 15cm x 6.5cm, which is more or less 

similar to the ones prevailing today. 

Mahabauddha temple of Patan, built under 

the shikhara style architecture, is made 

entirely of bricks. Some other examples 

are the Jaganath temple and Teen Dewal 

Temple of Pachali. Although the wall 

thicknesses vary considerably and there 

seems to be no standard dimensions, these 

structural walls have sun-dried bricks on 

the inner part and wedge shaped bricks 

called Dachi apã on the outer surface. This 

non-porous, smooth faced wedge shaped 

brick has the advantage of minimum brick 

joints being exposed, thereby preventing 

the clay mortar being washed away by 

rain.. 

Firebricks commonly used during 

the Malla period: 

In Newari language, the simplest type 

of firebrick is called apã. 

Mã-apã - brick with one end and one edge 

glazed. 

Ku-apã - corner brick. 

Dachi-apã - wedged and glazed brick used 

on the external face. Mortar remains 

confined within bricks and the fine lines 

between edges are sealed with a mixture 

of oil resin and red earth. 

Bepã-apã – stretcher brick 

Tvah-apã - closer brick 

Bã-apã - moulded and 

decorated brick 

Different types of Bã-apã 

were used as cornices in 

various locations (mainly 

in lintel and plinth) of 

temples. These cornice 

layers have decorative Bãapã 

in descending order 

(see figure): 

Phecu apã - brick with 

slanting edge (serves to 

repel pelting rain from 

the wall surface) 

Mvah-apã - brick with 

slanting and throating 

edge 

Khãlapã - brick with rounded mould 

Kahsimvaha-apã - projecting brick with 

flower design generally with lotus leaf 

pattern 

Dhalimvah-apã - brick with stylized beam 

ends with the following patterns: skeleton 

face, lion face and flower 

Nahgvah-apã - brick with snake pattern (for 

string courses) 

Section of Cornice showing different types 

of Moulded Brick (ba apa) in Mahadeva 

Temple in Pachalighat. 

Bãtuapã - stepped brick 

Palehah-apã - lotus leaf 

Asa-apã - brick with egg pattern 

(lowermost part of the cornice) 

Jhallar-apã - brick with frill design 

Nitubãap - double stepped brick 

Mikhaphusi apã - bricks used in lintels of 

decorative door and window. 

Nãhgvahapã - brick with snake pattern 

Lhãhapã - curved moulded bricks to 

support the lower end of slanting roof 

struts. The four corners of temples at the 

cornice level of each storey usually have 

two layers of these bricks. These bricks 

rest on top of a hand shaped wooden piece 

called Lhãhphvah. These bricks are biggest 

in size as compared to other moulded 

bricks and are an important decorative 

element in the temple. 

Cikã apã - square shaped brick with glazed 

face. These are used on floors of 

courtyards, inner shrine and terraces of 

residential building. S 


§ 

P R O F I L E 

“Of course in the case of heritage 

sites there is no choice but to do 

retrofitting work to the best of 

one’s capacity. They cannot be 

dismantled and built anew.” 

The recent destructive earthquake in Pakistan 

has made a lot of people wary. Manohar 

Rajbhandari, Senior Structural Engineer 

and Executive Director of MRB & 

Associates, is one such person. However, while others 

fret and worry, Rajbhandari acts. Not only that, he 

has been putting into action comprehensive 

responses to the possibility of a similar devastation 

occurring in Nepal. 

Thus, he has designed and installed 4600 units of 

pre fabricated school buildings as part of the 1988 

Earthquake Affected Areas Rehabilitation 

Reconstruction Project assigned by the World Bank. 

“These were easy-to-install, steel pre fabrications and 

the same design was requested for by authorities in 

India after the big earthquake in Maharastra some 

years ago.” Manohar Rajbhandari is justifiably proud 

of this, as he is of the fact that he has been invited 

to Islamabad by the UNDP to assess seismic 

vulnerability of the twenty storied Saudi Towers in 

which they have their offices. 

BUILDING 

&MORE 

BRIDGES 

Text: Amar B. Shrestha 

In his more than four decades in the profession, 

the sixty two year old engineer has completed 

projects that range from industries to stupas; from 

international pavilions to schools; from residences 

to offices; from bus terminals to airports; from 

apartment blocks to hospitals and from museums 

to bridges. He remembers well a project in his 

early years and one for which he received a lot of 

accolades. “A second floor of the Annapurna 

Arcade in Durbar Marg was being planned,” he 

reminisces. “But the owner, Princess Helen Shah, 

had one condition-that the construction should 

be done without disturbing the occupants on the 

ground floor.” The late architect, Robert Weise, 

consulted Rajbhandari who after some thought, 

came up with an ingenuous plan. “When peoplethose 

who understood engineering- saw a second 

roof coming up over the arcade without any 

interference to the existing arcade, they were quite 

surprised,” he remembers. “In fact there were 

many curious visitors some of whom were so 

impressed that they even took photographs of 

the upcoming structure.” 

“These were easy-to-install, 

steel pre fabrications and 

the same design was 

requested for by authorities 

in India after the big 

earthquake in Maharastra 

some years ago.” 


§ 

PROFILE§ 

Similar ingenuity was called for, but on a 

much larger scale, during the raising of a 

2500 ton bridge over the Kaligandaki river, 

a project under international contractor 

Impregillo Spa. “When completed, it was 

observed that the next flood waters were 

almost touching the decks of the bridge 

and so it had to be raised by a further one 

and a half metres.” recalls Rajbhandari. 

MRB & Associates were assigned the 

consultancy job. Seeing that specialized 

machinery, unavailable locally, was 

required but would have incurred high 

costs if they had to be imported, the 

engineering firm had to devise a plan 

where novelty and innovation would have 

to be the by-words. MRB & Associates 

scored on all counts. Its plan of 

strengthening the bridge, and its lifting 

scheme, were accepted and the feat was 

achieved successfully. This job was, at first, 

independently designed by Impregillo 

Spa’s design teams in Milan and Shanghai 

(Three Gorges Project) but MRB’s design 

was selected after finding comparative 

shortcomings in their own design. 

Manohar Rajbhandari is a master of 

structural engineering and is specially 

proficient in the craft of retrofitting and 

earthquake resistance structures. This is 

as to be expected of a man who did his 

Post Graduate in 

Earthquake Engineering 

from Tokyo in 1970 and 

undertook special training 

on Earthquake Resistance 

Measures in Civil 

Engineering Structure 

(HMG/CIDA-1987). As 

for his earlier education, 

Manohar Rajbhandari 

completed his BE, Civil, 

from Roorkee in India in 

1964. The historic Durbar 

High School, near his 

ancestral home in Ason, 

was his playground from 

where he did his schooling. 

He has two sons and a 

daughter, among whom 

Caroline is an architect who 

got her degree from 

Moscow and Manish, a civil 

engineer, who received his 

from the Philippines. The youngest, Mani, 

is studying business administration in 

Bangalore. Both Manish and Caroline 

work at MRB & Associates along with 13 

other staff members. 

MRB & Associates has its offices in Seto 

Durbar in Jamal. The Managing Director 

and his family live here as well, having 

bought the durbar in around 1976-1977. 

Top: Jyoti Spinning Mills-MRB’s first 

major project. 

Above: Blast proof wall at the UN 

building near fuel depot in Pulchowk. 

Below: International Mountain 

Museum in Pokhara. 

“I will be shifting residence soon to 

Bishalnagar heights where I have built a 

new house,” informs the soft spoken MD. 

“It is near the Indreni Apartments which 

is under construction.” This is not 

surprising as the location is not only prime, 

but he himself is also associated with the 

premium project. It has to mentioned that 

Manohar Rajbhandari has been consultant 

for a large number of architectural and 

engineering firms in his earlier individual 

capacity as Freelance Structural Design 

Consultant and later, as MD and Senior 

Structural Engineer of MRB & Associates. 

Firms with which he has worked include 

Weisse Consulting Architects and 

Engineers, Rachana Consulting Architects 

and Engineers, Technical Interface, CBC, 

DOME, ADA, BDA (Kamaladi), BDA 

(Lazimpat), TEAC Consult, East Consult, 

Gammon India, BMDC, H.S.Sukralia, 


Ganesh 

Metal 


§ 

PROFILE§ 

Apartment buildings inside the ring road are not permitted at all. But it must be realized that it 

is in this very area, where land prices are steep, that there is a need for apartment buildings. 

[ ] 

Below: HMGN JSI Funded Syangja 

District Medical Commodities Store. 

Bottom: The International Labour Office 

Project-Baneswor. 

Astra, John Sanday Consultants 

Architectural Project of Nepal (British 

Aid) besides many others. 

MRB & Associates was founded in 1989 

to provide varied services for its first major 

client, Jyoti Spinning Mills in Parwanipur. 

Co-incidentally, one of the firm’s 

highlights has been the designing of a 40 

meter steel free span truss for the same 

mill. Some other major works of the 

Company have been reinforced concrete 

structures up to eleven stories and beams 

spanning up to fifteen metres as well as a 

building with a swimming pool on the 

seventh floor. Another highlight has been 

the design of a 149 meter span truss for a 

bridge for the Kaligandaki A Hydroelectric 

Project under the auspices of Impregillo 

Spa. The firm was also deeply involved 

with the Prithvi Highway Naubise- 

Malekhu Section Replacement Bridge 

Projects in association with Gammon 

India Ltd. The engineering of the Rs.650 

million ICIMOD building in Khumaltar 

has been one of Rajbhandari’s recently 

completed works as has been the Rs.171.1 

million Grace Apartments in Naxal. 

Another work completed in the recent past 

(February 2004), has been the Rs.65 

million Office building for Department of 

Education in Sanothimi. In April 2003, 

another large project, the Rs.450 million 

Gongabu Bus Park Extension Project was 

completed. 

Manohar Rajbhandari has 

also been senior structural 

engineer for industrial 

establishments such as 

Himalayan Distillery 

(Parwanipur), Colgate 

Palmolive (Hetauda), 

Mahalaxmi Garment 

Industries (Kathmandu), 

Everest Containers 

(Hetauda), Jyoti Group 

(Parwanipur), Nepal Lever 

(Hetauda), Radhika Oil 

Industries (Biratnagar) and Ace Packaging 

Industries (Hetauda). One of the firm’s 

largest projects has been the Rs.560 million 

Department of Education project to 

develop Pre Fabricated Structural Steel 

Materials and Door/ Windows Frames of 

Two Classroom Blocks for institutions all 

over the country (May 2000-May 2001). 

Another interesting project was the 

engineering of the huge dome in the Great 

Lotus Stupa in Lumbini about which he 

says, “Now, after it has been completed, 

the dome might look light and less bulky, 

but it involved a really large number of 

structural elements.” The Casino Nepal 

project was also quite a big one, the project 

cost exceeding Rs. 65.9 million when 

finished in August 1999. 

Here, it would be pertinent to point out 

that the list of works done by Manohar 

Rajbhandari in his capacity as structural 

engineer are simply too many to be listed. 

Suffice it to say that Rajbhandari is one 

of the most experienced structural 

engineers in the country and has worked 

tirelessly in a diverse range of projects 

throughout his long career. He is presently 

involved in the design of a thirteen storied 

building in Naya Baneswar which will of 

course be one of the tallest structures in 

the country. About apartment buildings, 

Rajbhandari is of the view that there is 

less clarity in the making of bylaws. “In 

fact, apartment buildings inside the ring 


JK Cement 


§ 

PROFILE§ 

road are not permitted at all. But it must 

be realized that it is in this very area, where 

land prices are steep, that there is a need 

for apartment buildings.” During his initial 

years Rajbhandari worked in the 

Department of Housing, Building and 

Physical Planning (1964 to 1978) during 

which time, as an engineer in the design 

and construction divisions, he executed a 

number of important buildings including 

many in the Godavari Gardens, a 

Distillation Plant in Hetauda, the Radio 

Nepal Studios and the Auditorium and 

Recreational Hall for the Army inside the 

Royal Palace. During his years as Freelance 

Structural Design Consultant (1978 to 

1989) Rajbhandari was responsible for the 

rehabilitation and strengthening of the 

August 1988 earthquake damaged 

buildings of Eastern Regional Engineering 

Institute. During this time the seasoned 

engineer also designed the prototype of 

an earthquake resistant building in Dharan. 

In fact , his experience is such, that he 

Top: MRB & Associates: Caroline and 

Manish sitting to the right of Manohar 

Rajbhandari. 

Above: International Mountaineering 

Museum, Pokhara and the bridge over 

the Kaligandaki River. 

admits, “I am quite busy nowadays with 

retrofitting works.” Some time back, his 

acumen was called for to assess the Indian 

Embassy residences for seismic 

vulnerability. In this case, seeing that the 

residences’ seismic life spans were almost 

over, Rajbhandari’s advice was to have 

them dismantled and rebuilt. As he says, 

“Retrofitting existing structures need not 

necessarily be an expensive matter, but 

it depends on the condition of the 

building.” He is also doing similar work 

in the Swarna Vihar in Lalitpur and says, 

“Of course in the case of heritage sites 

there is no choice but to do retrofitting 

work to the best of one’s capacity. They 

cannot be dismantled and built anew.” 

Manohar Rajbhandari’s knowledge in 

seismic related engineering is vast and 

one hopes concerned bodies are making 

full use of the same. His expertise can 

be gauged, although there is really no 

doubting it, from this example: When 

doing retrofitting work of Lincoln 

School, he could immediately judge that 

the building structure was not very 

strong. As a matter of fact the eminent 

engineer did declare that, “this building 

is like a house of cards vis a vis an 

earthquake.” He remembers, “When I 

calculated that the cost for retrofitting 

would be around Rs. Six million, the 

school authorities were surprised. 

However, when his design matched 

perfectly with a design asked for from their 

office in the United States, they were more 

than surprised. And, not surprisingly, 

Manohar Rajbhandari was requested to go 

ahead in implementing his plans. The 

Structural Engineer has waded deep into 

the waters of his profession and been 

responsible for numerous projects, many 

of them of a large nature. He is today one 

of the most respected professionals in the 

field. Yet he doesn’t for a moment think 

of retiring. “I have seen that retiring from 

an active professional life can leave a man 

demoralized,” he says. The reserved 

engineer says that he likes to help out 

young professionals and is always on hand 

to give advice when asked for. He reveals, 

“There are many engineers who ask me 

unofficially for my advice on works they 

are involved in.” 

With the present bleak scenario in the 

country added to the ever increasing 

number of professionals in the field, it is 

only right that there should be some worry 

about the future of the profession. About 

this, Manohar Rajbhandari says, “No 

profession can develop in isolation. It has 

to go hand in hand with development. 

Political stability is most important for 

this” About the burgeoning institutions for 

engineering he feels that it would be 

prudent to keep an eye on quality 

education. Simultaneously, he says, “I have 

heard that the Institute of Engineering in 

Pulchowk has been rated as one of the 

top ten engineering colleges in Asia. Yes, 

its products have turned out to be quite 

good.” Smiling softly, he adds, “Credit 

must be given where credit is due.” S 



REPORT 

Dr. Bijaya K. Shrestha, Ph. D. 

POST-MODERN BUILDINGS 

IN THE KATHMANDU VALLEY 

Popularly known as post-modern architecture, it includes building of 

irregular shapes in plan and elevation with mixing up of many elements 

such as arches, bay windows, Corinthian columns with pediment base, 

combination of flat and sloppy or ‘pagoda style’ roof, etc. in one structure. 

Transformation of economic base from 

agriculture to information and service 

orientation, change in lifestyles, information 

flow, availability of different construction 

materials and technologies combined with rapid 

urbanisation have not only destroyed the social 

fabric of the historic core area but also 

introduced a new trend of architectural design 

and building construction in the peripheral 

areas of Kathmandu Valley. Popularly known 

as post-modern architecture, it includes 

building of irregular shapes in plan and 

elevation with mixing up of many elements 

such as arches, bay windows, Corinthian 

columns with pediment base, combination of 

flat and sloppy or ‘pagoda style’ roof, etc. in 

one structure. 

b 

a 

c 

Architecture is not only the art of building 

design, technological or investment objects but 

also, a social entity. It is not limited to layout 

of interior spaces of buildings but also has a 

public face and community dimension. As a 

complex relation exists between building form, 

function and social context, architecture, 

instead of going into luxury of whim or 

aestheticism, should respond to culture, context 

Fig. 1. Mixing up of different 

elements into one single 

building in post-modern 

architecture 

(a) Residential bungalow 

(b) Office cum shop 

(c) Swimming pool complex 


F i s h T a i l 


REPORT 

and time including linking nature and 

human kind, inner and outer realties and 

function and meaning. Therefore, the 

treatment of the ‘transition space’ between 

the public street (open space) and the 

private house, layout design of building on 

the plot and the architectural characters of 

dwellings that define building density, 

shape public space and express inhabitants’ 

socio-economic status are crucial in 

architecture. However, new buildings in 

the Valley have neglected all these aspects 

with numerous consequences. 

First, the trend of mixing various elements 

of different periods and cultures in a single 

building, irrespective of the function 

(individual house, apartment, office cum 

shopping centre, institutional structure, 

etc.), location (dense core area, peripheral 

area, inside the courtyard, street side, etc.) 

and the surrounding building context does 

not help in achieving human scale and 

proportion (Figure 1). Such a task of 

duplicating anything and used for any 

purpose indicates the cynical attitude to 

history and degrades the values of these 

traditional elements. 

Second, post-modern buildings with 

variations in size, shape, height, bulk and 

setback and plinth level from adjacent 

buildings together with use of different 

materials and construction technology are 

not only difficult to relate with surrounding 

existing houses but they have also 

destroyed the sense of enclosure, the 

singular composition of continuous street 

walls, volumetric definition and unity in 

street scene particularly in the historic core 

area and have formed the chaotic 

streetscape and public space in the 

peripheral new settlements. Destruction of 

traditional city fabrics means loss of 

cultural value and deterioration of sense 

of place as well as decline of city economy 

in the long run. Radical shift in form and 

style, entry way location and building 

decoration in new buildings makes the 

sense of orientation, infrastructure 

provision, cultural continuity and harmony 

in cityscape extremely difficult. Individual 

buildings, however well constructed, do 

not add to a worthwhile whole unless are 

linked with the surrounding buildings and 

local context. Absence of well defined 

semi-private or semi-public spaces in new 

planned and unplanned residential 

precincts has reduced socialisation scope, 

individual relaxation and assistance among 

neighbours. Moreover, transformation of 

traditional houses even located inside 

courtyards into post-modern buildings 

with commercial uses 

thereby increasing building 

density and vehicular use 

has caused conversion of 

public squares, residential 

courtyards and monasteries 

into parking lots, garbage 

dumping sites and 

strangers’ gathering place 

(Figure 2). 

Fig. 2. Failure of postmodern 

buildings in 

addressing public realm 

(a) Transformation of facade 

(b) Conversion of Bahal into 

parking lot 

(d) Chaotic streetscape 

(c) Absence of socialisation 

space 

Third, placement of post-modern 

buildings with setback from all sides – 

pavilion type – results in lower density and 

fragmented open spaces between the two 

buildings, which is hardly useful except for 

lighting and ventilating. For instance, the 

planned residential neighbourhoods of 

Responsive architecture through conserving cultural heritage, 

continuing traditional architectural vocabulary, building earthquake 

resistant construction and energy efficient dwellings educates 

ordinary people and brings about community awareness 

‘Kuleswore’ housing and ‘Gongabu’ land 

pooling projects (both implemented by the 

government) have gross density of 159 

ppha (persons per hectare of land) and 143 

ppha respectively compared to gross 

density of 1185 ppha of ‘Manjushree tole’ 

(historic core area) of Kathmandu. 

Fourth, though traditional houses, like the 

layout of the town, are characterised by 

manifestation of spiritual beliefs and 

hierarchical organisation, functional 

synthesis of visual art and social settings, 

and architectural detailing, including 

energy efficiency structure using local 

material and technology, post-modern 

buildings lack such traditional design 

vocabulary. They are climatically ineffective 

not only due to construction of thin (23 

cm and 11.5 cm thick) plastered brick infill 

wall with cement mortar and RCC (or 

RBC) roofs but also because of exclusion 

of energy efficient design concept in 

planning, design and detailing. 

Finally, outer façade elements of postmodern 

buildings for the sake of 

aesthetics, in most cases, are ‘nonstructural’ 

and not tied up properly with 

the main structural system making them 

more vulnerable to seismic hazard, besides 

increasing cost (Figure 3). The threat is not 

only for occupants, but also for pedestrians 

and neighbours. Moreover, the 

construction method has numerous 

defects - ground floor kept free of shear 

walls for commercial use creates a ‘soft 

storey;’ window fixed from column to 

column on upper floors after constructing 



REPORT 

facade wall up to the sill level, forms a 

‘short column;’ and the whole structure is 

often characterised by ‘weak column strong 

beam.’ Lack of quality control on building 

material and construction work, poor 

workmanship and absence of qualified 

supervision have further increased the 

seismic vulnerability of such structures. 

Last but not the least, responsive 

architecture through conserving cultural 

heritage, continuing traditional 

architectural vocabulary, building 

earthquake resistant construction and 

energy efficient dwellings educates 

ordinary people and brings about 

community awareness thereby developing 

the habit of taking care of built 

environment by communities themselves. 

However, this socio-cultural dimension has 

hardly been realised in the recent trend of 

architectural design and built environment 

formation process. The reasons are 

numerous. 

First, responsible institutions – Schools of 

Architecture, professional bodies like 

Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) 

or Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA) 

and concerned government authorities like 

Ministry of Physical Planning and 

Construction, Kathmandu Metropolitan 

City, etc. – are unaware about this 

dimension of architecture and ineffective 

due to poor technical and managerial 

capabilities. Numerous large scale buildings 

and urban development projects are 

awarded to engineering firms based on 

design schemes that are judged only on 

cost rather than design quality and its 

implication on wider socio-cultural 

dimension. Any engineering professional 

or even home owners themselves, without 

architects, can build the present style 

buildings by hiring masons and carpenters. 

Almost all architectural schools of the 

Valley are still following the outdated 

syllabus using old teaching techniques of 

‘chalk and talk’ in the ‘factory model’ 

buildings. 

Second, existing building bylaws, the one 

legal vehicle to control building 

construction and urban growth, cannot 

address many negative consequences of 

post-modern buildings whereas absence of 

Fig. 3. Earthquake vulnerability of post-modern buildings 

urban design guidelines and control on 

architectural design in the new settlement 

(housing and land development) has 

resulted in no differences between 

haphazard growth areas and the planned 

development except in the provision of 

vehicular access. As much as 90% of 

construction is non-engineered and 

unmonitored and nearly 30% is illegal. The 

building form envisioned by the bylaws - 

different vertical setbacks with light 

structure on the ground and heavy towards 

upper floors – is not desirable from 

earthquake perspective. 

Third, as there are hardly any good 

examples of architecture and urban design 

(the traditional fabrics are under 

destruction whereas new ones have several 

weaknesses) architectural students and the 

general public take inspiration from 

existing failed examples for future designs. 

Post-modern architecture has emerged not 

only to rectify mistakes of modern 

architecture but also to provide a fresh 

perspective on environmental design as a 

part of urban design focusing on human 

component and fulfilling socio-economic 

needs. However, the Valley’s rapidly 

growing new trend of construction has 

failed to acknowledge this. Five decades 

of modern age is enough to destroy 

architectural heritage preserved over 

centuries. Failure in public dimension of 

architecture has created new set of 

problems - discontinuity in traditional 

architectural vocabulary, destruction of 

community spaces and increased 

earthquake vulnerability. Authorities, 

including the existing legal framework, are 

continuing activities that accelerate the 

present wrong trend and hamper educating 

the community and bringing about public 

awareness. To reverse this, a twofold 

strategy of developing urban design plan 

focusing on environmental quality, natural 

hazard and cultural heritage to manage 

urban growth in the Kathmandu Valley at 

macro level and within this broader 

framework, development of site specific 

guidelines for public dimension of 

architecture in regulating building industry, 

both in theory and practice, is essential. S 



HERITAGE 

REDEVELOPMENT & CONSERVATION 

AT CHANGU NARAYAN: 

A CASE STUDY OF THE CHANGU NARAYAN MONUMENT ZONE 

Text: Neelam Pradhananga 

CHANGES AND DEVELOPMENT 

The opening of Nepal’s borders 

in 1950 to foreign influence, 

along with intensified political 

developments, has generated 

rapid socio-economic and cultural change. 

This has led to tremendous pressure in 

terms of redeveloping private property in 

city centres, especially in Kathmandu, 

Bhaktapur and Patan, to cater to the 

changing needs and aspirations. 

Accelerated development in the urban and 

rural private housing sectors have has led 

to loss in character of the traditional 

architectural fabric and worse, destruction 

of traditional houses. 

In the seventies, reinforced concrete, 

offering comparative economical 

advantages was already in wide use in the 

Kathmandu Valley - being seemingly 

cheaper than traditional materials like 

wood, dachhi appa and stone. Also, ease in 

maintenance and cleaning, the possibility 

to build in a short time span and to 

replicate foreign trends, perfectly fitted 

urban expansion requirements. 

Consequently, there was rapid proliferation 

of haphazard concrete building 

construction without any reference to the 

past built environment in terms of either 

form and proportion or character. All this 

has succeeded in isolating and detracting 

these new “boxes” from the setting of 

public and religious monuments and has 

adversely affected the image of monument 

zones. This trend, since the 1950’s, is 

continuing unabated due to the inadequate 

existing legal framework and concerned 

officials’ apathy. 

The Valley’s monument zones represent a 

rich architectural expression of religious, 

political and socio-cultural life with its 

unique synthesis of Hinduism and 

Buddhism. The seven monument zones of 

Kathmandu Valley inscribed into the List 

of World Heritage Sites in 1979 and later, 

due to the effects of frenetic urbanization

process, into the List of World Heritage 

in Danger in 2003, are the three historical 

palaces and their urban settings 

(Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur), two 

Hindu centres (Pashupatinath and Changu 

Narayan) and two Buddhist centres 

(Swayambunath and Boudhanath). 

CHANGU NARAYAN 

Changu Narayan is accessible to 

Kathmandu only via Bhaktapur by a 

vehicular route. Other accesses via 

Jhaukhel and Sankhu exist in the form of 

walking trails. Changu Narayan is thus a 

peaceful rural settlement, relatively 

untouched by the hustle and bustle, the 

pollution and the noise. Furthermore, its 

numerous festivals, religious activities, 

crafts and local trade, offer the possibility 

to get in touch with the dynamics of a 

living culture. 

Located north of Bhaktapur, the 

monument zone consists of the main 

Vaishnavite temple, Nepal’s most ancient 

and venerated Vaishnav shrine. The main 

temple on the hill top is further enhanced 

by the still largely intact traditional 

settlement of sun-dried brick houses with 

simple wooden windows, doors and twoway 

roof extending along the ridge 

towards the east and northwest direction 

(Fig 1). The current monument zone 

boundary also comprises of vast 

plantations of pine trees in the south and 

west and agricultural land in the northeast. 

One of the oldest inscriptions found of 

Lichhavi King Manadeva’s period (464 

A.D), shows that the site of the Narayan 

temple at Changu had been established as 

a sacred location in the 5th century AD. 

Throughout the following centuries, the 

temple structure must have been destroyed 

and reconstructed several times. To leave 

a mark of their reign, the Lichhavi and 

Malla kings ontinually renovated and 

beautified the temple, while also adding 

new elements. The present structure was 

probably constructed during the late 17th 

century, though older elements have been 

incorporated during the many restorations. 

The inscription shows that Haridatta 

Barma constructed the four Narayan 

temples of the Valley including Changu 

Narayan in 283 B.S. Written in Sanskrit 

with Gupta characters, the inscription on 

a stone pillar records how King Manadeva 

persuaded his mother not to immolate 

herself on her husband, King 

Dharmadeva’s, funeral pyre. It also 

describes how Manadeva subdued the 

“vassals” to the east and conquered the 

Kingdom of “Mallapuri” beyond the 

Gandaki River to the west, before returning 

victorious to his mother. The inscription 

is very important as it testifies to the 

religious, political and social situation of 

contemporary Nepal. 

[ ] 

There is a need for balance in conservation and guided 

redevelopment so that development occurs without 

sacrificing cultural heritage. 

The main Changu Narayan Temple, a 

glorious example of Newar temple 

architecture, is worshipped by Hindus as 

Garuda Narayan and by Buddhists as 

Harihar Bahan Lokeshvar. It is located at 

the very top of the hill called Changu in 

Newari, and Dolagiri, Dolasikhara, Dol 

Parvat, Garud Narayana and 

Champakaranya in Sanskrit. The two-tiered 

pagoda temple stands in a square courtyard 

surrounded by two-storeyed ‘dharmasalas’ 

or rest-houses and filled with beautiful 

Lichhavi period stone statues of the 

various incarnations of Lord Vishnu. 

Fig 1. Boundary of Changu Narayan Monument Zone 

1.Main Building 

2.Chinnamasta Temple 

3.Mahadev Temple 

4.Vishwaroop, Vaikuntha Images 

5.Narasingha 

6.Kileshwor Temple 

7.Garuda Image 

8.Mandev’s Inscription 

9.Garudasan Shridhar Vishnu 

10.Garudasan Narayan, Avalokkiteshwor 

Fig 2. Plan of main Changu Narayan Temple 

Erected on a platform, the temple’s lower 

roof has red tiles while the upper roof is 

covered in gilt copper surmounted by a 

pinnacle, both supported by prominent 

carved wooden struts of gods from 

Vaishnav mythology, including several local 

Tantric forms. The ground plan is square

HERITAGE 

and much of each of the four walls is taken 

up by elaborate wooden doors (Fig 2). 

Over the central door on each wall is an 

elaborately decorated “torana” or “gateway”. 

The base of each door has a pair of 

guardian stone lions. Numerous 

embellishments such as the many bells and 

lamps hanging from the roof edges, and 

the quantity of gilt metal, attest to Changu 

Narayan’s fame and sanctity. 

The courtyard consists of a series of 

smaller shrines and wonderful sculptures 

of early date such as Krishna, Narayan, 

Mahavishnu, Ganesh, Chinna Masta, 

Visworupa, Bhairab and so on. The 

Changu Narayan Temple is nevertheless 

Ancient Images 

the main identity of the place with the 

traditional lifestyle and vernacular 

buildings. The Guthi regulates religious 

functions and only Pujaharis and their 

helpers, the Bhadels, have permission to 

enter the inner core. The main festival is 

‘Rathyatra’ in Baisakh during which time 

Gwalas perform puja. Narayan Puja falls 

on Kartik Shukla Ekadashi. 

The surrounding natural beauty heightens 

the cultural feeling and the forests and 

agricultural land create a tranquil 

environment, while the still intact 

traditional settlement on the main route 

further heightens the senses. The temple 

is relatively well conserved and restoration 

management of the temple complex itself 

is under control. The rest houses however, 

require renovation and the exquisite statues 

and inscriptions require some form of 

protection. Although the conservation 

scenario of Changu Narayan appears to 

be relatively better in comparison to the 

other Monument Zones, a detailed study 

shows that 27.5% of the built urban fabric 

is incompatible with its surrounding built 

environment. Thus, the area is slowly 

succumbing to time inflicted 

developmental changes taking over the 

Valley. The most affected area remains the 

traditional settlement routes leading to the 

temple and as this is the main habitation 

area, visible changes have brought about 

disruption in the area’s harmony and unity 

besides impacting the value of the 

monument itself. 

Furthermore, discontinuation in the 

traditional architectural vocabulary, 

significant reduction in use of community 

spaces (squares and particularly streets– 

earlier used for multiple activities) now 

often used commercially as shop frontages 

and intensification of earthquake 

vulnerability are some problems brought 

View from Changu Narayan 

about by new construction, extensions and 

renovation works. 

CONSERVATION – RESIDENTIAL VS 

MONUMENT 

Residential buildings’ conservation is 

different from conservation of 

monuments. Houses have owners with 

needs, interests and spatial requirements, 

for this reason conservation per se is not 

possible entirely, and transformation is 

inherent in a living space. The question 

thus is not of strict conservation but of 

guiding transformation so that existence 

of actual urban fabric addressing modern 

life requirements is assured as well. 

The visible change in the Changu Narayan 

traditional settlement indicates a need for 

guiding haphazard growth to ensure 

coherence and consistency with the 

surroundings. Guiding change is a 

debatable task, as it encompasses various 

factors and points of view of the people, 

the visitors, the technical personnel and 

many more. However, views of the people 

living in this zone should be of paramount 

importance, as it is essential for 

conservation to be not a one-time effort 

but a continual and sustainable process. 

This can only be achieved when the 

community supplements efforts of the 


Department of Archaeology, UNESCO 

and other organisations; becomes 

involved; and when they, in the first place, 

understand why conservation of the 

traditional settlement is being sought out 

as opposed to haphazard development. 

Thus, there is a need for balance in 

conservation and guided redevelopment 

so that development occurs without 

sacrificing cultural heritage. 

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 

Conservation should be seen as an 

economic opportunity and the misguided 

conception of conservation in opposition 

to development must be changed to 

guided development (cultural and 

economic) through conservation. What is 

urgently required, therefore, is a short term 

course of action that focuses on offering 

the opportunity to maintain, restore, or 

properly transform traditional houses. 

Basically, this can be done through 

information dissemination and awareness 

campaign, bank financing and technical 

assistance from the village development 

committee/Department of Archeology/ 

Architecture Universities with a view to 

upgrade the quality of life in the traditional 

settlements of the monument zone. What 

is called for is also clarification of the role 

of Changu Narayan in terms of its socioeconomic 

status (local trade/touristic 

trade) by maximizing the zone’s 

potentialities to assure economic 

sustainability. Finally, strategic visualposition 

buildings should be restored and 

strategic public and semi-public 

interventions should be upgraded to assist 

future conservation efforts. S 

Bibliography 

1. M Hutt, Nepal, A Guide to the Art & Architecture of Kathmandu Valley 

2. Protective Inventory Page 156a,b 

3. UNESCO Kathmandu (2004), Conserve! Kathmandu World Heritage 

Site Potential Areas for cooperation, Kathmandu, Nepal 

4. UNESCO World Heritage Centre (2004), Technical workshop for the 

conservation of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property in Danger(3- 

7 May 2004), Kathmandu, Nepal. 

Hotel Diyalo 


ONE MAN, 

HIS ISLAND AND MANY HOUSES 

Text: Niranjan Lal Shrestha 


designer’s home 

Cozy, Confident, Composed 

Amidst conflicting contemporary concerns. 

-Ar. Bibhuti Man Singh, on his design at Expo 2000 Hanover 

Scene I: It is the middle of a very busy 

day in one of the most popular hubs in 

the valley. In Chaksibari, the road linking 

Chettrapati and Thamel, an array of people 

from the four corners of the globe are 

strolling about on the street. Restaurants 

are lined along the sidewalks inviting 

dwellers with vibrant displays and offering 

diverse cuisines. One can hear various 

genres of music being played. A live band 

playing rock n’ roll on one side of the street 

and lok dohori is being sung at the other. 

Motorbikes appear and disappear in an 

instant like butterflies. Cars try to make 

their way between pedestrians and 

motorbikes, all the while blowing horns 

in a cacophony of noise. Seems like here 

is a labyrinth of many races and cultures. 

Scene II: There are rows of drawing 

boards in front of which sit young men 

and women in deep contemplation. They 

have dreams in their eyes, dedication in 

their hearts and passion in their souls - all 

of them trying to portray their visions on 

pieces of paper. They aspire to change 

society by changing dwellings. In the first 

floor is the office of a dignified man who 

exudes a good degree of modesty. Soft 

music plays in the background and his 

pencil resonates along rhythmically as he 

draws lines and curves that will shape 

future landmarks of the country. 

From one of the tall windows can be seen 

a house which belongs to this very man. 

Silhouetted among the tall trees, and 



beneath an azure sky, it is the home where 

this man retreats with his beloved. The 

years in passing have lined his face and 

changed facades of many buildings he has 

designed, but his dedication and devotion 

to his works has only become deeper and 

stronger. It is in the buildings which he 

fashions that the man creates grandeur to 

rival God himself. Seems like here, in his 

abode, is inspiration in all its glory. 

There is much contrast between the two 

scenes elaborated above. It is hard to 

imagine these two opposites fitting into 

one place. But the paradox that is reflected 

in all of God’s creation is also reflected 

here because the scenes occur not only in 

the same theatre but also in the same 

location. With the award of Best Design 

at Expo 2000, Hanover, under his belt, 

Bibhuti Man Singh is the protagonist in 

the above plot. Thirty three years after his 

graduation from WPUE & T, Lahore, 

Pakistan, he has established himself as a 

name to be reckoned with in the 

architectural arena. Honored with Gorkha 

Dakshin Bahu in 2000 for his contribution 

to architecture in Nepal, he is the Chief 

Architect of Technical Interface. In 2005 

he was honored with the Prime Minister’s 

Earthquake Safety Day Award for his 

efforts towards spreading awareness 

among the general public, engineers and 

architects as well as concerned governing 

bodies .He is also the recipient of the 

Mahendra Vidya Bhusan (1974 ) and 

SCAEF Award ( 2001 ). 

When asked about his own residence and 

office, he says “When architects design for 

themselves, they strive for economy rather 

than for exuberance and extravagance”, 

stressing that it is not a house, but a home 

Above: The main office is cluttered but 

cozy and comfortable nonetheless. 

Below left: A wonderful view of the garden 

between the offices and the residence. 

Below Right: Yashashwee in front of the 

‘Time Capsule’. 

Facing page above : These bookstands 

holding voluminous tomes speak volumes 

about the Chief Architect. 

Facing page below: Lord Ganesh at the 

gates has been showering his blessings 

all through the years. 


that is to be designed. Thus shying from 

the popular belief that houses designed by 

architects are excessively costly. His 

residence and office is much more homely 

and inspiring than the profligate houses 

one sees all around. 

Leading straight from the main entry 

adjacent to the well known Ganesh Man 

Building, is a compound shared by three 

brothers, the youngest of whom is Bibhuti 

Man Singh. A statue of Lord Ganesh 

under an old tree points to a path leading 

to the office and residence. The whole 

complex is divided into three courts - the 

fore court housing a parking space; the 

mid-court consisting of entrances to the 

office building towards the north with two 

gates to the residence at the west and a 

common garden at the southern side while 

the rear court is a private garden that has 

been designed on two levels. The lower 

corridor leads to the main entry of the 

residence. There is plenty of vegetation 

around the garden that at once acts to 

create a natural environment as well as a 

noise barrier. 

An entry to the north leads to the twostoried 

office building. On the first floor 

there are three adjacent rooms –one, 

housing the reception, one for 

draughtsmen, and the other, an 

administrative office. A wooden staircase 

next to the entry door leads to the first 



Above: The sit-out is conveniently 

linked with the sitting room via French 

windows. 

Below left: A private passage from the 

office to the residence through the 

lovely garden. 

Right: The doors too are tastefully 

conceived. 

floor. On this floor there are a number of 

architects working on their computers next 

to the Chief Architect’s main office which 

has a huge collection of books and 

magazines. As one enters this office, it is 

the autonomy of the place that is 

experienced first. With plenty of sunlight 

entering the room through large openings, 

the room seems to breathe by itself. Large 

scale use of wood in the rooms probably 

brings lightness and ease into working 

processes. The ceiling has been finished 

with Sal wood. Wood keeps the room 

warm and cozy in winter allowing for the 

opening of doors and windows so that 

there is adequate circulation of fresh air. 

To break the monotony of sitting in the 


Pest Control 



same space for whole days, the verandas 

overlooking the garden and the residence 

serve as refreshing spots. The garden 

serves as an interesting intermediate space 

between the residence and the office. A 

private entry leads directly through the 

garden to the residence. The windows on 

the southern side of Bibhuti Man’s office 

overlooks the entry porch and garden. The 

window-sills hold a series of book stands 

interrupted by a number of trophies and 

awards. Other walls of the room are 

adorned with pictures and drawings of his 

representative projects. 

Once an old storehouse, the office building 

was reconstructed into its current shape 

in 1993. The façade of the office building 

has an interesting feature which he has 

coined the ‘Time Capsule’. A signage on 

the cladding of one of the columns reads 

‘Time Capsule-1993-2093’. Below it is 

another signage with a photograph of 

Singh and his grandchild Yashaswee. “The 

foundation of the pillar holds a number 

of family photographs along with a family 

chronology, newspaper clippings, coins as 

well as letters to my grandchildren” he 

informs, adding, “Understanding that the 

value of these will be very high after a 

century, they shall be my descendants’ 

prized possessions. 

To keep them safe, I have written the letters 

in acid-proof paper and casted them inside 

a steel mesh. On the assigned date, when 

Above: A split level design makes the 

living room much more interesting. 

Facing page above: The spacious 

dining room awash with natural light. 

Facing page below: An exterior view. 


the building is brought down or somehow 

the cage is acquired, then my 

grandchildren will have the chance to 

rejoice in them.” Next to the ‘Time 

Capsule’ signage is an entry to his 

residence. To harmonize with the facade 

of both buildings, the gate has also been 

camouflaged with brick texture finish. The 

entry leads to a narrow passage that is at 

a sunken level to the garden. From this part 

both the buildings look very interesting. A 

series of steps leads to the main door of 

the house. 

As in the office, the residence is also 

furnished with lots of wood. There is an 

open sit-out connected to the garden and 

accessible from the living room where 

pictures of his children alongside Srimand 

Bhagwat Gita are kept on a side table. The 

living room consists of a recessed sitting 

space where one can sit cross-legged if so 

desired. The dining space is located on a 

split level platform. The living and dining 

rooms are separated by a wooden staircase 

leading up to the first floor. 

After all these years of contributing to 

society , the man, Bibhuti Man Singh, still 


Elegant decoratives give life to the corridor. 



Right: Soothing colours surely must be 

refreshing to tired minds. 

Below: A generous sprinkling of foliage 

helps in creating a relaxing environment. 

spends twelve hours each day trying to 

create better and better dwellings for 

people. Amidst all the social turmoil, his 

efforts have brought considerable changes 

and awareness in society at large, and to 

quote the poetic architect…… 

The Buddha’s primordial eyes 

Gives an apprehensive blink, 

Or perhaps a comprehensive wink. 

S 


TIPS 

D I S A S T E R 

MANAGEMENT 

If unprepared, earthquakes can be totally devastating. It is also a 

bitter truth that this country faces a major earthquake in the near 

future. Ward No 17 Disaster Management Committee, headed 

by eminent Architect Bibhuti Man Singh, has been at the forefront 

of a public preparedness program to face the impending crisis. 

Here we outline their plan which should be of great help to others 

wanting to be as well prepared. 

NOTES ON IMPENDING DOOM 

A. THREE SIMPLE TRUTHS: 

1. Scientific evidence indicates that a major earthquake is already 

overdue in Nepal. 

2. In the event of a major earthquake, the government will not 

be able to do anything for at least one week. 

3. Lifesaving is most effective within the first 72 hours and the 

community itself is the first line of defense. 

B. MANY BITTER TRUTHS 

1. People do not care and are not aware of the threat. 

2. Density of settlement, poor construction quality and lack of 

preparedness make them death traps. 

3. Central level disaster preparedness or planning is zero. Sheer 

neglect and apathy reigns at the fire department and the Disaster 

Management Cell within HMG. 

4. Available manpower for search and rescue (3800) is not at all 

enough to handle calls from the 110 wards in the Valley. 

5. Collapse of even a single building in our narrow streets will 

cut off all power and communication lines. 

6. Food and water shortages will result in extreme distress and 

disturbances. 

C. SO WHAT THEN? 

1. Organize at community level. 

2. Give it a fighting chance for survival. 

Above: Scenes of destruction after the Great Earthquake in 

Kathmandu. 

Above left: Pakistani Army soldiers take out a dead body of 

a student from the debris of a collapsed school building in 

Muzaffarabad, capital city of Pakistani administered Kashmir 

after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the region 

HOW? 

Raise, maintain and sustain a dedicated core of 200 well trained 

community volunteers. For Ward 17, this translates into one 

volunteer for every 100 people. 

AND THE GOAL? 

Help the community before, during and after an earthquake for 

the purpose of: 

Before: Awareness and preparedness 

During: Emergency response capacity building 

After: Virtual self reliance for one week 

For more information: Architect Bibhuti Man Singh, Phone: 

4222408/4268994, email: tecinter@wlink.com.np 




transitions 

Courtesy: Dr. Rohit K Ranjitkar, KVPT 

TRANSITIONAL HICCUPS 

GUITA CHAPAH, PATAN 

1992 

Chapahs are community 

houses specially found in 

Patan. These are sort of rest 

houses with spaces for 

religious and ceremonial 

events. They are also used 

for community activities. 

Usually, Chapahs are two 

storied buildings with the 

ground floor having an 

open area and the first floor 

being covered. 

Two sides on the ground floor were left open and served as a 

public meeting place. The floor was timbered. People could 

gather here and conduct recreational activities anytime. 

1997 

Changing tastes of people made the space inadequate and 

there was demand for more open spaces. Modernization 

and development pressure changed the configuration of the 

building as well as use of construction materials and 

technology. Now the new building does not bear any 

resemblance at all to the old Chapah. 


A listing of professionals featured 

Manohar Rajbhandari 

Senior Structural Engineer 

MRB & Associates 

Seto Durbar 

Jamal 

Kathmandu 

Phone: 4243532 / 4224802 

email: mrb@mail.com.np 

Shashikala Tiwari 

Artist 

GPO Box No. 4319 

Bishalnagar 

Kathmandu-5 

Phone: 4414421 

DIRECTORY 

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78 JAN-FEB 2006 SPACES 

Panchakanya

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