Geography
History of NEPAL
Very little is known about this period in the
history of Nepal. The Kirats ruled for about 1000
years and were ruled by a total of 28 kings during
that time. The first and best remembered king was
Yalambar. Legend credits him with meeting Indra, the
lord of heaven, who ventured into the Valley in
human guise. He had the dubious honor of being slain
in the epic battle of the Mahabharata, in which gods
and mortals fought alongside each other.
Another remarkable event during this period
is the coming of Gautam Buddha in the time of the
seventh king. The Buddha supposedly spent time in
Patan, where he elevated the blacksmith caste to
goldsmiths and bestowed upon them the name of his
own clan, Sakya.
The great emperor of India, Ashoka, was also
a visitor to Kathmandu in this period. As a follower
of Buddhism, Ashoka visited Lumbini, the birthplace
of Buddha, and erected stupas in Kathmandu. His
daughter married a local prince and further
spread the religion. As the Kirat dynasty came to
an end in the valley, parts still remained in the
eastern mountains where they are considered to be
the forefathers of today�s Rai and Limbu castes.
• The metropolitan city is located in the
northwestern part of Kathmandu Valley.
• The city covers an area of The average
elevation is above sea level. The city is
bounded by the Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan
City to the south, Kirtipur Municipality to
the southwest, Madyapur Thimi Municipality
to the east, and different Village
Development Committees of Kathmandu to
the north, the west, and the northeast.
• However, the urban agglomerate of
Kathmandu-Patan-Kirtipur-Thimi-
Bhaktapur covers the entire valley and
extends beyond the valley to satellite
towns of Banepa, Panauti, and Dhulikhel in
the east.
Climate
• Five major climatic regions are found in
Nepal. Of these, Kathmandu Valley is in the
Warm Temperate Zone (elevation ranging
from ), where the climate is fairly
temperate, atypical for the region.
• the city with lower elevations have a mild
humid subtropical climate, while portions
of the city with higher elevations
generally have a subtropical highland
climate.
• Kathmandu Valley, which is representative
of its valley's climate, the average
summer temperature varies from . The
average winter temperature is .
 religions Architectural
character
The cultural and
religious life of the
people was highly
 The ancient trade route between India
developed under the and Tibet that passed through
Kiratas, The main religion Kathmandu enabled a fusion of
of nepal was artistic and architectural traditions
from other cultures to be
Hinduism.
amalgamated with local art and
they worshipped architecture.
Lord Shiva, serpents,  The monuments of Kathmandu City
trees, stones etc. The have been influenced over the
images of Kiratewar centuries by Hindu and Buddhist
Mahadev and
religious practices.
Birupakshya show the
standard of architecture  Durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka,
of the Kiratas and Patan and Bhaktapur, Hindu temples
Lichchavi. of Pashupatinath and
Changunarayan, the Buddhist stupas
Buddhism of Swayambhu and Boudhanath.
It flourished under
the Kiratas & Lichchavi. Kumari Ghar
The stupas, pagodas, and
temples were all built on  palace in the center of the
the model of Buddhist art. Kathmandu city

the Durbar square

Main periods of nepal  where a Royal Kumari selected from
several Kumaris resides. Kumari, or
 Kirat Period (800 B.C.-300 A.D.) Kumari Devi,
 Lichhavi and Thakuri Period (300-1200 A.D.)  the tradition of worshipping young
 Malla Period (1200-1769 A.D.) pre-pubescent girls as
 Shah Period (1769- present) manifestations of the divine female
energy or devi in South Asian
countries.
Kasthamandap Pashupatinath temple

 a three-storied temple enshrining an  The Pashupatinath Temple is a famous 5th

image of Gorakhnath. century Hindu temple dedicated to Lord
 It was built in the 16th century in pagoda Shiva (Pashupati).
style. The name of Kathmandu is a  Located on the banks of the Bagmati
derivative of the word Kasthamandap. River in the eastern part of Kathmandu,
 It was built under the reign of King Laxmi  Pashupatinath Temple is the oldest Hindu
Narsingha Malla. temple in Kathmandu.
 Kasthamandap stands at the .
intersection of two ancient trade routes Boudhanath
linking India and Tibet at Maru square.
 It was originally built as a rest house for  (also written Bouddhanath, Bodhnath,
travelers. Baudhanath or the Khāsa Chaitya), is
one of the holiest Buddhist sites in
Nepal, along with Swayambhu.
 It is a very popular tourist site.
Boudhanath is known as Khāsti by
Newars and as Bauddha or Bodhnāth
by speakers of Nepali.
 Located about from the center and
northeastern outskirts of
Kathmandu, the stupa's massive
mandala makes it one of the largest
spherical stupas in Nepal
Pashupatinath temple

 The Pashupatinath Temple is a

famous 5th century Hindu temple
dedicated to Lord Shiva
(Pashupati).
 Located on the banks of the
Bagmati River in the eastern part
of Kathmandu,
 Pashupatinath Temple is the
oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu.

Temple of Taleju
 The Goddess Taleju was considered
to be the royal goddess of the Malla
Kings. Therefore at least one temple
of the Taleju was built in each Malla
Kingdom.
 The temple of Taleju in Kathmandu lies
on the northern side of the palace
with private access directly from
the palace.
 This thirty-five meters high temple is
the most significant feature of the
Kathmandu Palace Complex.
KIRAT PERIOD
During the rule of the Kiratas, Nepal made
considerable progress in the field of art and
architecture, trade and commerce. The Kiratis
were not only good warriors but also good
administrators. Men and women were treated
equally. Criminals were given severe punishment.
For the administration of justice, law-courts
were established at several places-Kuther,
Shuli, Lingual, Mapchok etc.
 Trade and commerce flourished under the
Kiratas. Nepal had trade relations with
Tibet, China and India.
 The exports of Nepal mainly consisted of:
o wool,
o woollen goods,
o wood and herbs.
 the Kirat rule is very significant one being
the longest period that extended from
pre-historic to historic period.
 In ancient Hindu Scriptures, Nepal is
referred as the "Kirat Desh" or "the Land
of Kirats".
  The last King of the Kirat dynasty was
 Yalambar laid the foundation of the Kirat
Gasti. He proved to be a weak ruler
dynasty that lasted for about 1225 years.
and was overthrown by the Sombanshi
 he Kirats revere him as God King these
ruler Nimisha. It brought to the end of
days.In the chronicle of Banasawali
the powerful Kirat dynasty that had
 the Kirat rule existed from about 1500 lasted for about 1225 years
BC to 300 BC. During this long period
altogether 29 Kirat Kings ruled over
the country.

The twenty-nine Kings were:

1.Yalambar 11.Papa 21.Guja

2.Pari 3. 12.Bunka 22.Pushkar
3.Skandhar 13.Swawnand 23.Keshu
4.Balamba 14.Sthunko 24.Suja
5.Hriti 15.Jinghri 25.Sansa
6.Humati 16.nane 26.Gunam
7.Jitedasti 17.luka 27.Khimbu
8.Galinja 18.Thor 28.Patuka
9.Oysgja 19.Thoko 29.Gasti
10.Suyarma 20.Verma
Ahok-pillar stupah of ashok

 the Indian Emperor Ashok had his inspections Siddhartha Guatama,

engraved on rocks and a stone-pillar. The
pillar known as Ahok-pillar still stands. a prince of the Sakya clan, was
 he had built four stupas in four directions and born in the Lumbini area of Nepal. He would
one in the centre of Patan. These monuments speak later become the Buddha.
of the historical fact of Ashok's visit to the
valley. Buddha or "Enlightened One”
 the 28th Kirat King Patuka had built a royal
 the founder of Buddhism, one of the
palace called "Patuka" there for him. The
great religions of the world. Many
'Patuka' palace is no more to be seen now miracles are said to have herald his
except its ruins in the form of mound. birth.
 Patuka had changed Shankhamul into a
beautiful town.
 When Siddhartha realized the misery Mana Deva
of the world, he left his palace, his
father, his wife and his children, and  Mana Deva was the most
wandered for seven years seeking the famous king among the
truth. He reached spiritual Lichchhavi rulers.
enlightenment while sitting under a Bo-  He erected an image of
tree. He spent the remainder of his life Tribikram Narayan at
teaching the people who gathered Lazimpat. He built a famous
about him. royal palace that was
called 'Mangriha' at
Gokarna from where the
administration of the
country was conducted
 Mana Deva also introduced
Nepalese coins for the first
time, known as “Mananka”
 He also built the shrine of
Changunarayan, and
renovated the Chakra
Mahavihar. Royal palace
 He is considered to be the
first king of Nepal having “mangriha”
historical authenticity.

The Lichchavi Period

 Regarded as the golden age of Nepal.
 The post Lichchavi period is considered
as the dark age.
 The Lichchavis has genius for the
reconstruction of whole of the country.
With them the nation entered a new phase
of prosperity in art and culture,
painting, architecture and sculpture Nepalese coins
flourished highly and realized a new the shrine of Changu
narayan “mananka”
height of development.
Shiva Deva
Successor of Amsuverma
 After the death of Amshuverma, Usay Dev
 From the very beginning of his rule, he
I, son of Shivadeva, ascended the throne.
placed Amshuverma in charge of the
He was dethroned by his younger
entire administration of the country.
brother, Dhurba Dev.
 Shiva Deva I was impressed by
 He went to Tibet and took shelter under
Amshuverma's heroism and
Srong Tsang Gampo. Jisnu Gupta, chief of
administrative ability.
the Avir dynasty, helped Dhruba Dev to
Amshuverma acquire the throne.
 Kailashkut Bhavan was the adminitrative
 During the reign of Shivadeva, centre of the country.
Amshuverma was the de-facto ruler. At  Jisnu Gupta became the de-facto ruler.
the death of Shivadeva in 605 A.D He minted coins in his name as Amshuverma
 he became the sole sovereign and had done, and declared himself the king
adopted the title of king. of Nepal.
 He belonged to the Thakuri clan and
thus he established the Thakuri dynasty Narendra Deva
in Nepal.
 King Shiva Deva used to say that  Narendra Dev was the son of Uday Dev II.
Amshuverma was a man of universal Uday Dev had to take shelter under the
fame and he always destroyed his Tibetan King Srong-Tsang-Gompo.
enemies by his heroic nature. Narendra Dev, with Tibetan aid took
 He built 'Kailashkut Bhawan' at revenge against the enemy of his father
Devapattan and transferred the seat and restored his ancestral throne by
of government from Mangriha to defeating Bishnu Gupta.
Kailashkut. He also minted coins in his  He was a wise and good ruler. He always
name. wished to see his people happy and
 Nepal had trade relations with India, prosperous.
Tibet and China and it became the  They used utensils of copper. They wore
thoroughfare of India's trade with long and loose garments covering the
China and vice versa. whole body.
 They worshipped Panchayan i.e., five
Hieun-Tseng Gods- Ganesh, Shiva, Bishnu, the Sun God
and Goddess Durga.
 Hiun-Tseng was a Buddhist monk of China.  the rule of Narendra Dev proved to be
In about 630 A.D. he visited India via much advanced in all fields,
Tashkent to study Buddhism. particularly in art and architecture. He
 He stayed in India for 14 Hieun-Tseng died in 683 A.D.
years and visited Varanasi, Gaya,
Kushinagar Kapilvastu and Lumbini.
Though he did not visit Kathmandu Valley,
Shiva Deva II
 After the death of Narendra Dev, his son
Shivadeva II ruled from 684 to 705 A.D. He
married Betsa Devi, the daughter of king
Bhogaverma of Magadha. Due to this
matrimonial relation, he maintained a
very good relationship with the powerful
Magadha kingdom of India.
Jaya Deva II
 After Shivadeva II, Jaya Deva II ascended
the throne. He married Rajyavati, the
daughter of King Harsha Dev of Koshal.
He was a learned man and a great poet.
 Tibet made an unsuccessful attempt to
invade Nepal, but was defeated at the
hands of the Nepalese.
 Tibetan king was killed in the
confrontation. Jaya Deva II ruled in Nepal 
till 729 A.D.
Aramudi
 Aramudi was also known as Baradeva. He 
made Lalitpatan (Patan) his capital, He
was a brave and clever king.
 According to Kalhan's 'Rajtarangini' King
Vanayaditya Vinayaditya was a powerful 
king of Kashmir from 770 A.D. to 800 A.D.
 He conquered many principalities of India
and then advanced to occupy Nepal in
782 A.D.
Earliest surviving record from the
Licchavis. Most of the Licchavi records
are reports of religious donations to
mainly Hindu temples and the language of
the records is Sanskrit.
male figure, standing "Siva and Parvati Set" ca.
ca. 1st-3rd century 5th-6th century
C.E stone
Malla Period
 Malla era, Period of Nepal’s history when the
Kathmandu Valley was ruled by the Malla
dynasty (10th–18th century).
The Malla ruler Jaya Sthiti (r. c. 1382–95)
introduced a legal and social code strongly
influenced by contemporary Hindu principles.
 Malla Dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Nepal
from the 12th to the 18th century.
It was during their reign that the people
living in and around the Kathmandu Valley
began to be called "Newars" (or Nepa: mi in
Nepal Bhasa, meaning citizens of Nepal).
The Mallas were the ruling clan of the Malla
Mahajanapada. They have claimed Kshatriya
status themselves.
 The Mallas (literally "wrestlers" in Sanskrit)
had been forced out of India and
 The first of the Malla kings came to power in
Kathmandu Valley around 1200.
 The Malla period was a golden one that
stretched over 550 years, though it was
peppered with fighting over the valuable
trade routes to Tibet.
 Architecture in Kathmandu
Valley during Malla Dynasty

Near the palace of the Royal palace and

Malla dyansty rulers in hindu temples in
Lalitpur with pillar and Bhaktapur durbar Old royal palace in
patan. (lalitpur)
statue of king Yoga square Kathmandu (kantipur)
Narendra Malla (Lalitpur).

Temple of nyatapola Bhaktapur Kasthamandap Basantapur palace

Taumadhi square. complex (kantipur) complex (kantipur)
(bhaktapur)
Ranjit Malla

o Ranjit Malla was the last King of Bhaktapur.

As a lover of rare and precious things, he
Shah Period
added many courtyards to his palace. And to
improve economic conditions in his Kingdom, he  the beginning of the modern era in
imported silver exporting it as coins Kathmandu. The Battle of Kirtipur was the
Jayasthiti Malla (1354-1395) start of the Gorkha conquest of the
Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu was
o was the most famous of all the Malla adopted as the capital of the Gorkha
empire, and the empire itself was dubbed
Kings. As a great reformer,
Nepal. During the early part of this era,
o he codified the whole structure of the Kathmandu maintained its distinctive
Nepalese society in a strictly orthodox culture. Buildings with
Hindu frame.  characteristic Nepali architecture, such
o Jayasthiti was a builder of temples and a as the nine-story tower of Basantapur,
patron of art and literature. He was also were built during this era.
an economic reformer and introduced a  Bhimsen Thapa supported France against
system of measuring land and houses. Great Britain; this led to the
development of modern military
Pratap Malla structures, such as modern barracks in
Kathmandu. Dharahara, the nine storied
o was the King of Kantipur, today’s Kathmandu. tower, was built during this era.
o He was an authority in religion, music, and the  the panchayat system was made, under
art of warfare. And though he was a Hindu, he the panchayat system was:.
tolerated other religions.  no political parties were allowed
o He even reconstructed the Buddhist shrine of  human rights were denied
Swayambunath. He constructed Krishna Mandir,  corruption was rampant
the Shrine of Taleju, Rani Pokhari, and Guheswari  state money was misused
temple.  economic development did not take
place
Jaya Prakash Malla  "nationalist" slogans were given, but
no improvement in the day-to-day life
o Jaya Prakash was the last King of Kantipur. of the people was realized
Although brave and confident, he was unlucky.
o He tried to save the Valley from a Gorkha
attack, calling for unity among the three states
around Kathmandu. But he was not heeded to.
o Even calling on the army from the East India
Company did not help. Fighting within his family
was partly to blame.
 Main Materials used:
Basantapur Tower
 Vajra-Surki (Brick

It is on the south side of the Nassal dust),
chowk. This tower is based on a  Chuna (Lime),
rectangular plan.  Mas (Black lentil)
 It has nine stories, a four-tiered  Chaku (Caramel)
roof and a copper pinnacle at
the top.
 This thirty meters high tower was Nasal Chowk
built to create a pleasant
 is a courtyard which follows
pavilion and was named
the main entrance and consists
Basantapur Tower, meaning ‘the
of the coronation platform in
pleasant pavilion’.
the center.
 Important buildings here are
the private quarters of the
kings, the Audience Chamber and
the five storey Panch Mukhi
Hanuman temple. To the southern
Dharahara Tower end of Nasal Chowk is the nine
storey Basantapur Tower,
 also called Bhimsen Tower, is  adorned with erotic carvings
a nine storey (61.88m) tall on its facade and offers
tower at the center of fantastic views of the palace,
Sundhara square and the Old Town from
the top.
 The tower has a spiral
staircase containing 213
steps.
 the 8th floor holds a
circular balcony for
observers that provides a
panoramic view of the whole
Kathmandu valley.
 The tower has a 5.2m bronze
mast on the roof.
TECHNIOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES
938 AURORA BLDV. CUBAO QUEZON CITY

AR333A
“Nepalese ARCHITECTURE”
ASSIGNMENT # 7

RAVENA HARIETTE A.
AR31FC1
ARCH. LANCE DOLORES II
September 30, 2014
 Significance of the Study

This significance of this research is to discuss the following

information about Nepalese Architecture, It’s history, it’s dynasties
who ruled that era, and the religion that influenced nepal’s
architecture and it’s deve,opement of it’s government and civilization
It’s to be able to recognize and appreciate it’s unique, detailed and
one of a kind designs and ornaments specially it’s arts. To be able to
learn and develop the different techniques in terms in construction in
preserving and rebuilding one of the most amazing architecture in
ancient history and also To be able to apply it on designing and
planning future buildings that are to be erected in the near future.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS:

TITLE: PAGE

History of NEPAL……………………………….………….……………………..…..…….…1
religions………………………………….……………..……………………………….…….…..2
Kasthamandap……...…….…….……..…………………..……………….……..…………..3
KIRAT PERIOD…………………………….……….……………………………..…..…………..4
Siddhartha Guatama, ………..……………………….…………………….….……….…5
The Lichchavi Period …………………………..…..………………………………………6
Malla Period……………………………………………………………………………………7
Architecture in Kathmandu Valley during Malla
Dynasty…………………….………………………………………………………………………8
Basantapur Tower.….………………………………………………………………………9
Bibliography……..…….……………………………………………………………………...10
 Bibliography
www.webpages.uidaho.edu/arch499/nonwest/nepal/Temples/Kathmandu
www.trotmate.com/countries/nepal/cities/kathmandu
www.wikipedia.com/mallaera