Architecture of Nepal

One of the earliest recorded dynasties to hold power in Nepal was the Licchavi kingdom which ruled between the 5th and 7th centuries.[4] During this time, temples such as the Shaiva of Pashupati at Deopatan, the Vaishnav temple of Changu Narayan and the Buddhist stupa of Swayambhu were erected.[1] From the period of Licchavi rule, no buildings remain but there are many surviving sculptures.[1]

From 1786 onwards, Nepal entered its ‘modern era’.[3] In the 18th century, important buildings that remain today were erected such as the Kasthamandap.[1] In 1816, the Shah kingdom ruled and the country's architecture was heavily influenced by the Newar style.[1] During the Shah reign, various temples, fountains and other important buildings were constructed.[1]

From 1846 to 1951 the Rana dynasty ruled, which saw both art and architecture of Nepal become heavily influenced by popular architectural trends in Europe.[1] Significant tax revenue from this period went towards building stucco palaces. Prominent mansions in Kathmandu were adorned with marble tables, bronze figurines and chandeliers.[1] Some of the buildings commissioned during this period have now been converted into hotels and government buildings.[1] Also during the Rana dynasty (in 1848) luxurious palaces were commissioned, some of which remain to this day.[5] Another notable architectural development during this time was the construction of the three Newar pagoda temples.[1]

Between the end of the Rana dynasty and the restoration of democracy in 1990, Nepal’s architecture became significantly more modern.[1] In 1955, the Tribhuvan International Airport was opened and in 1969 there was an official city plan prepared for Kathmandu. In addition, large scale roads were built to create a connection between Nepal and the outside world, and massive concrete structures were built throughout the country.[1]

Traditional Newari houses.

Traditional Newar houses commonly consist of three or four stories and faced outwards to either the street or a courtyard.[3] These houses sometimes have a shop-front on the street-facing side and the inner-facing sides are used as living spaces.[3] Some of the houses are connected at the attic level and this space is used for communal feasts.[3] The Newar house is primarily made of red brick, mud mortar and timber.[3]

Sherpa house with modern features.

Sherpa style houses are most often found in the Khumbu region.[7] All Sherpa houses feature an elongated shape, have two stories, a rigid roof and most have the ground floor built into the hill or slope behind it.[7] Sherpa houses do not have doors, windows or any other openings that face the back of the house - primarily because they are built into the slope, but also because the sun does not reach here.[7] The houses are well built with an outer protective wall covering an internal wooden frame.[7]

Due to Nepal’s hot, dry summers and cold winters, its traditional housing is architecturally designed to cope with this climate.[8] Nepali houses contain features that enable them to remain a pleasant temperature indoors, including:

• Use of materials such as stone
• Eaves or overhangs to prevent excessive sun exposure
• Doors and windows without glass.

These passive cooling features have been found to effectively keep Nepali residences temperate.[9]

Krishna Mandir, Patan Durbar Square, Lalitpur, Nepal.

One popular style of temple is the Shikhara architectural pattern. This style can be seen in the Krishna Mandir Temple. This construction involves between five and nine layers that meet at the peak of the building to represent “the crown of Himalayas”.[3] Each layer is held up by a row of vertical columns. At the peak, there are intricate decorations and ‘ornate’ details.[3] It is most common for these structures to be made of stone although there are some that are made of brick.[1]

Another popular style of temple is the Newar pagoda style. These temples have between one and five layers of roofs and are dedicated either to Buddhism or Hinduism.[1] These temples are often free-standing or attached to another building such as a palace and sometimes with an enclosed courtyard.[1] One of the most notable styles seen in these temples is the tiered roofs.[1] The floor plan is most often a square, representing a mandala.[1] It is also common for the roofs to follow the pattern of the floor.[1]

This style is the oldest in the Asian continent and derives its shape from Himalayan fir trees. The ground floor is the place to worship the deity and upper floors can be used as storage of religious items. There is gajura at the top which is the combination of a lotus base, an upside-down vase, a triangle and a kalasha. The pagoda style was introduced in Nepal from the beginning of the 13th century. Some pagoda style buildings that are no longer standing include the Magriha of Madhav, Kailashkut Bhawan of Amshuvarma, and Bhadradiwas Bhawan of Narendradev. Similarly, the temples of Pashupatinath, Changunarayan, Chandeshwori and Banepa are examples of ancient architecture in the pagoda style. The Malla period produced various pagoda-style temples and palaces such as Nayatapola, Dattatraya of Bhaktapur, Kasthamandap of Kathmandu, Taleju Temple, Vajrabarahi, Vajrayogini.

Ashoka Stupa Chaitya, Lalitpur district.

Stupas are similar to temples with characteristic dome-like structures that contain significant, often religious relics. They can be small stand-alone structures or part of a larger temple complex. The origin of stupas can be traced to first Aryan contact with India around 1500 BCE.[10] Stupas are primarily associated with Buddhism and have been associated with it from its beginnings.[7] The original style of stupa (a low flat dome), has been replicated in the four stupas that mark the corners of Lalitpur.[1] The stupas at Lalitpur are on the four points of the compass and are displayed with accompanying Buddhas.[1] The most common elements of stupas in Nepal are the pedestal that the stupa stands on, the mound of the actual structure and the spire on top.[1]

Commonly, the temples of Nepal are made of brick, stone or wood and despite some stylistic differences, most temples follow a similar architectural layout or pattern.[2] Usually, the temples consist of either a single roof structure or one with multiple tiers. On these roofs, statues of the gods and goddesses reside - this feature is known as Mandir.[2] It is also common to see these temples on a square or rectangular based floor-plan with one of the most common plans based on the Vastu Purusha Mandala.[2] The mandala floorplan creates a foundation for the tiered pagoda layers on top of it.[2] Temples with a square floor plan are often 9x9 with each grid square reserved for a particular god or goddess.[2]

Restoration and rehabilitation projects are considered vital for Nepalese architecture as their architectural structures are considered to be of great global heritage value.[13]

One project that is focused on the restoration and rebuilding of Nepali architecture is the House Nepal project.[6] The project falls under the ADSIDEO programme (Project for the Centre for Development Cooperation of Universitat Politècnica de València 2018-2020) and works alongside the Nepalese-based Abari: Bamboo and Earth Initiative.[6] The main aim of the House Nepal project is to create houses with significantly less timber and to ensure that material used is locally sourced, cheap and environmentally sustainable.[6] This means building houses out of solid and structurally sound earthen walls based on traditional Nepali construction techniques.[6] These modernised compressed earthen walls contain compacted earth and bonding agents. Construction of the first houses began in Dhulikhel in 2020.[6]

The Abari: Bamboo and Earth Initiative is another program that builds architecture that promotes and commemorates vernacular architecture. Traditional materials such as earth and bamboo are used throughout the initiative.[6] After the earthquake that struck Nepal in April, 2015 which destroyed hundreds of thousands of traditional residences, Abari developed a proposal called Owner Driven Reconstruction.[6] This program sought to encourage the owners of residences to implement seismic solutions for their homes so that they would withstand future earthquakes.[6] To promote the Owner Driven Reconstruction, Abari distributed several manuals for the construction of houses and schools and the Nepalese government also considered these strategies as part of the countrywide reconstruction.[6]