GROUP ASSIGNMENT

OF
TEAM BASANTAPUR
NP-LBEF001

NEPAL PARICHAYE

NPT1F2309IT
HAND OUT DATE: 16 DECEMBER 2023

HAND IN DATE: 05 JANUARY 2024

WEIGHTAGE: - SELECT -

TEAM NAME: TEAM BASANTAPUR

TEAM MEMBERS: SWOPNIL BARAHI
PRIYANK RAJ THAPA
ROJAN PRADHAN
NABIN NEPAL
ASHLOK CHAURASIYA
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank our college (Techspire college) for creating such a fun learning
environment and our subject teacher Mr. Suraj Raj Pandey for providing this opportunity for
us. It has been a wonderful learning experience for us, we express our sincere thanks for
supporting us.

The completion of the project could not have been possible without the help of my team
(Team Basantapur) who dedicated their time and effort in this project. We would also like to
thank the locals, foreigners and the people of the museums for their kindness, providing
information about their history and the cultures. We would also like to thank Mr. Amit
Bajaracharya a municipality official and conservation architect for giving us his time and
support in this project. He gave us an inside political viewpoint in history and how community
around the durbar has evolved traditionally. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the
museum guide of the durbar Mr. Badri Upreti who gave us in-depth knowledge on the history
of durbar.

Their contribution has been an important part in the development of the quality of this
report. We would also like to express our thanks to the people who has helped us put together
this report. We wouldn’t have been able to complete our report without support and help from
these people.
 Table Of Content
S. N Content Page
1 Introduction 1
2 Body 2 to 16
-Visit and Museum: A brief explanation
-History of Basantpur:
-Details about the history of Basantpur (can be
further sub-divided by topic or period)

3 Interview 17 to
Transcript or key takeaways from the 23
interview:

4 Conclusion 24
Summary of the main points and overall
takeaways

5 Reference 25
List of sources used for research and
information
 Introduction

As a field visit project, we (Team Basantapur) visited the Basantapur Durbar Square
located in Kathmandu, to learn about the various aspects of the history. This report consists of
various events, historical essence and cultures that has occurred in the past. We get to see a brief
description of how our history holds a deep meaning for our culture, economy and politics. From
the field visit, we got to see and learn about a lot of history based on facts with proof.

The Durbar Square consists of the timeline of history from Malla period to the end of Monarchy
in Nepal. Basantapur’s Durbar history is vast and a fascinating one, as many different kingdoms
ruled in Kathmandu. The cultural, political and historical essence this time period carries very
important part for how Nepal is now.

Nepal’s major cultural changes and development took place in this time period, most of the
jatras, festivals and art architecture were started from back then. The castesystem started in malla
period as per occupation is still practiced today. People still have their cast based on the works
and culture of their ancestors. Many things are connected and binded by our history, the practices
of politics, cultures and system are still practiced today.

Now the place is known as a living heritage of Nepal. Most of the festivals still takes place
within the Durbar square, it can also be considered as a tourist destination because of its
uniqueness in art, style and culture. Most of the areas has been transformed into museums and
site seeing.The Basantapur Durbar Square has recorded and restored various historical sites and
artifacts in museums such as Hanumandhoka museum Mahendra museum etc, which has
collected histories from malla period to the various events in history of Nepal.

We also got the opportunity to talk to the locals about the importance of this place in their lives,
Political viewpoint of how the government think about the Durbar square, also how a foreigner
think and feels about the history , culture and the art of basantapur Durbar Square that can still
 A Brief Explanation
Of
Field Visit And Museum

We started our museum tour as we saw the great nine story palace built by Prithivi Narayan
Shah. The palace was built when Prithivi Narayan Shah decided to conquer Nepal, He attacked
Kathmandu with his Gokhali when Malla’s last king Jay Prakash Malla was ruling in 1768A.D.
The history of Basantapur Durbar square traces back to Kirat Dynasty then Malla rule extended
its architecture, and the Shah Dynasty extended it further.

There is also a famous three story temple called Kumari Chouk or Kumari Bahal which is
located at southern edge of the Durbar Square. This temple was built by Malla’s to worship
Hindu Goddess Durga in the form of young girl called Kumari. This holds a very important
historical event, as Prithivi Narayan Shah took over Kathmandu the people did not accept him as
their King. As he decided to worship the Goddess Kumari and blessed him with ‘TIKA’, the
people finally decided to accept him as their King.
 The Durbar dates to 16th century
under the direction of Malla Kings.
King Mahendra Malla commission
the construction of oldest temples in
Durbar square, his contribution
included Jagannath Temple,
Kotilingeshwara Mahadev and
magnificent Taleju Temple. The
Taleju Temple holds beautiful history
of how it was built. Mahendra Malla was devoted worshipping in Taleju Temple in Bhaktapur.
He used to always walk in early morning to worship in Bhaktapur. One night he had a dream of
Goddess Taleju Bhawani telling him to stop coming to Bhaktapur as he was getting old, so the
Goddess told him to build the Taleju Temple in Kathmandu. King Mahendra discussed this
matter with the priests (PUJARI), after all the discussion and planning the Temple was finally
ready to be built but every time the temple was ready to be finished by adding the ‘gajur’
something used to be damaged, or the temple would crumble. After consulting with the priests,
they said it is due to the curse of the tana devi as it was located right in front of talaju temple.
Then they worshiped the ‘tana devi’ and asked for forgiveness by building 21 ‘gajur’ that was
made of gold and built a wall and finally taleju temple was built.Bhawani telling him to stop
coming to Bhaktapur as he was getting old so the Goddess told him to build the Taleju Temple in
Kathmandu. King Mahendra discussed this matter with the priests (PUJARI), after all the
discussion and planning the Temple was finally ready to be built but every time the temple was
ready to be finished by adding the ‘gajur’ something used to be damaged, or the temple would
crumble. After consulting with the priests, they said it is due to the curse of the tana devi as it
was located right in front of talaju temple. Then they worshiped the ‘tana devi’ and asked for
forgiveness by building 21 ‘gajur’ that was made of gold and built a wall and finally taleju
temple was built.
Kasthamandap is a renowned historical temple located in Kathmandu. It is said that
Kasthamandap may have been built in 7th century during Lichhavi era and reconstructed by
Malla’s. Kasthamandap meaning wood covered shelter is a three storied public shelter that
includes a shrine. It is said that the name Kathmandu was originated from Kasthamandap.

Indra Jatra

Indra jatra is one of the most popular

festivals that is by Newari community. This
festival dates back to Malla era, King
Gunakamadeva started the practice of Indra
Jatra. The celebration consists of two
events, Indra Jatra and kumari Jatra. Indra
Jatra is marked by masked dances of deities
and demons, display of sacred images and
tableaus in honor of the deity Indra(The King of heaven). From the old times Indra Jatra used to
be celebrated by erecting poles representing Indra at various localities around the city.

The poles are also known as

Yambodyah. During the festival, Kings
used to drink a traditional drink called
‘AAILA’ from the mouth of Kaal
Bhairav. It is still practiced till this day.
 Putali Bagaicha

‘Putali bagaicha’ is a historical place which holds a story of Junga Bahadur Rana when Queen
Rajendra Laxmi was ruling, she decided to execute him. But Junga Bahadur Rana got the news
time ahead, this was due to one of his attendent named ‘Putal’i. In order to honor her Junga
Bahadur named the garden ‘Putali Bagaicha’.

Conservation by museum in basantapur durbar square

The museums in Basantapur have applied various methods for the conservation of its historical
essence. Since our history is so old, some of the history could not be recorded. Our architect and
historian have worked very hard to restore such historical monuments and artifacts. In 2015 a
great tragedy occurred; Nepal was hit by an earthquake. Most of the historical monuments were
destroyed and damaged by it. The architects are still working for the restoration of the
architecture. As it is such an old piece of architecture and unique piece of art it has been very
hard to restore. The government has also funded and contributed to the conservation of
Basantapur.
 History Of Basanatpur

Malla Dynasty
The Malla dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, from the 13th to the
18th century. The Mallas, starting from Aridev Malla in 1201, ruled the Kathmandu Valley and
surrounding region which was known as Nepal or Nepal Mandala and the citizens were known
as Nepa:mi (in Newari) at that time. In the late 15th century, the Kathmandu Valley was divided
into four kingdoms of Bhaktapur (Bhadgaon), Kathmandu (Kantipur), Patan (Lalitpur), and
Banepa. Malla’s came into power as they defeated last king of the Lichhivi dynasty.

Important kings during Malla dynasty-

Ratna Malla: (1482–1520)

On the death of his father in 1482, he and his brothers attempted to rule collegially. However,
Ratna Malla decided to become an independent ruler and created the Kingdom of Kantipur, with
its capital in Kathmandu, in 1484.

He was the first king of Kantipur durbar square (Basantapur). He was one of the six sonsof
yaksha Malla. He was the first Nepalese king to invite kasmiri muslim trader in Nepal. Theres
not much of a history that is recorded of him.

Mahendra Malla: (1560 to 1574)

Mahendra Malla was a king of the Malla Dynesty and the fourth king of Kantipur
(Basantapur Kathmandu). He succeeded his father Amar Malla and ruled from 1560 to 1574.
During his reign, Mahendra Malla attempted to develop the economy and trade of his kingdom
and thus distributed lands to the people and to different temples. He also built the Taleju Temple
situated in Kathmandu.He issued the first silver mohar coins during his reign and because of this,
the coins were called mahendramallis for a long time.
Pratap Malla: (1641–1674)

He was a malla king and the eighth king of kathmandu from 1641 until his death in 1674. He
attempted to unify Kathmandu Valley by conquering Lalitpur and Bhaktapur but failed in the
effort. He was successful in extending and securing the borders of Kantipur and was responsible
for the monopoly over trade with Tibet. He constructed the famous Rani Pokhari Pond because
of the death of his Son Cakravartendra and put the Holy Water in multiple holy sites. He also
constructed Multiple temples in memory of his Wives.

4) Jayprakash Malla: (1736–1746)

He is the last king of basantapur durbar square. He is also known as the unlucky
king of Kathmandu (basantapur) because He spentmost of his time in battles and war with Kings
of other terretories of Nepal including Prithvi Narayan Shah who caused the fall in Malla
dynasty. He contributed to the literature of Nepal Bhasa with works such as "Padma Samuchaya"
and three dramas that were concerned with Hindu mythology being Ratneshwar.

Pradurbhav, Birdhwojopakhyan Natakam and Bhairavpradurbhav.

 Shah Dynasty

The Shah dynasty also known as the Shah of Gorkha who a royal lineage are historically
associated with Nepal and the founder of Gorkha Kingdom from 1559 to 1768 and later unified
Kingdom of Nepal from 1768 to 28 May 2008. Founded by King Prithivi Narayan Shah in the
mid-18th century, the dynasty played a pivotal role in the unification of various principalities into
a single sovereign state. They are the dynasty known for their contributions in Nepal’s cultural
and political development. The dynasty’s rule continued until the abolition of the monarch in
2008, making a huge shift in Nepal’s political landscape.

PRITHVI NARAYAN SHAH:

Prithvi Narayan Shah was born on 27th Poush 1779 BS and was the son of Nara Bhupal Shah’s
2nd Queen Kaushalyawati. He ascended to the throne of Gorkha in 1799 BS. King Prithivi
Narayan Shah spends most of his life fighting and commenced the unification of Nepal by
Victory Of Nuwakot in 15th Asoj 1810 BS which eventually made him dream about the
unification of Nepal. Wherever he stepped foot, he was victorious as he conquered every
territory he attacked on. In 1819BS he captured Makwanpur including Timal and Sindhuligadhi.
He defeated Kirtipur on 1822BS, Kathmandu (Kantipur at that time) in Ashoj 13 1825 BS during
Indrajatra Festival and few days later he captured Lalitpur was also in his hand. In 1826 BS, he
defeated Ranjit Malla and captured Bhaktapur. He was pretty confident on his unification dream
of Nepal but at the same time he was scared of the growing rise of British power in India and
said Nepal is sandwiched between two powerhouse, China and India. He had huge concerns for
Nepal even from the outside territory which shows his clever and practically sound judgement
making abilities. He built the beautiful nine-storey Basantpur Durbar in Kathmandu, the seven-
storey Durbar, The Ranga Mahal and Tilanga House of Nuwakot which are evidence of his
artistic excellence as a lover of architecture. He died in Maghe Sankranti 1831 BS in his own
palace of Nuwakot Devighat.
PRATAP SINGH SHAH (1751-1777)

He was the successor to Prithivi Narayan Shah who ascended to the throne in 1775 A.D. Pratap
Singh Shah was a man of peaceful temperament and want to avoid war. After the reign of 2
years and 10 months he died in October 1777 at the age of 27.

RANA BAHADUR SHAH (1775-1799)

Rana Bahadur Shah was the son of Prithivi Narayan Shah ascended the throne at the death of his
father, in 1777 AD. When he was 2 and half years old. His reign was marked by political
instability and internal conflicts. Due to power struggles within the royal court, the throne, Rana
abdicated the throne in favour of his son Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah in 1799. As Rana Bahadur
Shah grew older, he became more cruel and violent. In Baisakh, 1863BS (1806 AD), Sher
Bahadur, king's brother assassinated Rana Bahadur Shah.

GIRVAN YUDDHA BIKRAM SHAH (1797-1816)

He became the king at an early age following the abdication of his father, Rana Bahadur. Due to
his young age, real power during his reign was held by various regents and courtiers. Girvan
faced a lot of challenges politically as in his rule, the kingdom of Nepal was in great trouble. The
Gorkha war (1814-1816) was fought between Kingdom of Nepal and East India Company as a
result of border disputes by both parties. The war eventually ended after the signing of Sugauli
Treaty in 1816. His rule was relatively short as he dies on 1816 leading Nepal to further political
instability.

RAJENDRA BIKRAM SHAH (1813-1881)

He ascended to the throne in 1816, Rajendra Bikram Shah was born in 1813 A.D. as the son of
Siddhi Rajyalaxmi Devi and Girvan Yuddha Bikram Shah. Girvan was only 16 years old when
Rajendra was born. The Father of Rajendra Bikram Shah was of weak and childish manner and
Rajendra Bikram Shah also showed such traits in his childhood.

TRIBHUVAN BIR BIKRAM SHAH (1906-1950)

King Tribhuvan was an important figure in history of Nepal. He was the eleventh king of Shah
Dynasty and ruled Nepal from 1911 to 1950. King Tribhuvan was born in June 30 in 1906. At
the age of five, he ascended to the throne upon the death of his father. With his mother acting as
regent. At the time if his crowning, the position of Monarch was largely ceremonial with the real
governing power residing with the Rana Family. During the Rana Rule, King Tribhuvan fled to
India in search of assistance from Rana’s and made an agreement called Delhi agreement which
distributed the power of Rana family and ended Rana rule.

MAHENDRA BIR BIKRAM SHAH (1920-1972)

King Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ruled Nepal from 13th Mach 1955 until his death in 1972.
King Mahendra was the one who started the Panchayat system which governed the country for
28 years until the introduction of Multi part democracy.

BIRENDRA BIR BIKRAM SHAH (1945-2001)

Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ruled from December 28th 1945 to 1st June 2001. He was one of
the most liberal kings who was loved by the people. King Birendra was the one who ended the
Panchayat system. He returned the power holded by the royal family to the people. King
Birendra was assassinated in a royal massacre in NarayanHiti palace. King Gyanendra was the
brother of king Birendra but was exiled from the country because he was sued for the royal
massacr
OUTCOMES OF SHAH DYNASTY
The shah dynasty in Nepal had significant impact on our country’s history and development.
Some key outcomes include unification of Nepal, cultural contributions by shaping Nepal’s
cultural identity, supporting art, literature, and traditions that have endured over time. They faced
political challenges and also in their period was the rise of the Rana Regime. In their period,
King Tribhuwan restored the monarchy’s active role. These outcomes highlight the dynamic role
of the Shah dynasty in Nepal’s history.
 Rana’s

During the rule of the Shah Dynasty, a great tragedy took place and the dark century begun.
When King Rana Bahadur Shah was heir of the throne, as he was not mature enough to be the
King Queen Rajendra Laxmi was regent for eight years. She was the ruler between 1777 and
1785, she contributed to the unification of Modern Nepal begun by Prithivi Narayan Shah. Junga
Bahadur Rana was the founder of Rana Regime, he came into power after executing the plan
with the junior Queen to become Prime Minister and place her son on the throne. Junga Bahadur
Rana killed Gagan Singh who was the consultant of Queen Rajendra Laxmi. When the Queen
was aware of the Rana’s scheme, she decided to kill him by poisoning the food, but Junga
Bahadur Rana was aware of it through one of his attendants. Junga Bahadur Rana arrived at the
location with his army and massacred Queen Rajendra Laxmi along with her attendance.
Subsequently, he deposed and exiled both King and queen after they had attempted to have him
assassinated. This was the starting of the dark rule of Nepal.
 Junga Bahadur Rana
(18 June 1817-25 February 1877)

junga bahadur rana was a Nepalese military general, politician, and statesman who served as the
Prime Minister of Nepal from 1846 to 1877. He is considered the founder of the Rana dynasty,
which ruled Nepal for over a century.Rana was born into a Chhetri family in Balkot, Nepal. He
joined the Nepalese army at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks. In 1846, he led a
coup that overthrew the Shah dynasty and established the Ranas as the ruling family of Nepal.
As prime minister, Rana centralized power in his own hands and ruled Nepal with an iron fist.
He suppressed dissent and opposition, and he maintained close ties with the British Empire.Rana
is a controversial figure in Nepali history. He is credited with modernizing Nepal's military and
infrastructure, but he is also criticized for his authoritarian rule and his suppression of
democracy.Rana was named prime minister and given the hereditary title of Rana. He ruled
Nepal with an iron fist for the next 31 years.

Bir Shumsher Rana

(10 December 1852 – 5 March 1901)

Bir Shamsher Rana, who ruled Nepal from 1877 to 1901, remains a complex and controversial
figure in Nepalese history. His reign was marked by both significant achievements and deeply
problematic policies, leaving a mixed legacy that continues to be debated today.

Dev Shumsher Rana

(17 July 1862 – 20 February 1914)

Dev Shamsher Rana was the 12th Prime Minister of Nepal, serving from 1885 to 1901. He was
the son of Bir Shamsher Rana, the 11th Prime Minister. He was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. He
was educated in England and returned to Nepal in 1883.he became Prime Minister in 1885,
following the death of his father. He was a conservative ruler who suppressed dissent and
opposition. He also expanded infrastructure and promoted trade.
 Chandra Shumsher Rana

(1901-1929)

Eldest son of Dev Shamsher. Considered the most powerful Rana Prime Minister. Modernized
transportation with railways and automobiles, built palaces and public buildings, and extended
Nepal's territory. However, his rule was also marked by extreme autocracy and corruption.

Bhim Shumsher Rana

(1929-1932)

Second son of Dev Shamsher. His brief reign saw economic downturn and increased pressure for
political reforms.Bhim Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, who served as the Prime Minister of Nepal
from 1885 to 1901, was a prominent figure during the Rana regime. Like any historical figure,
assessing his actions as either good or bad involves considering various aspects of his rule. Here
are some positive and negative aspects associated with Bhim Shamsher Rana:

Juddha Shumsher Rana

(1932-1945)

Eldest son of Bhim Shamsher. Faced rising discontent and attempted to appease public opinion
by introducing some reforms and relaxing censorship.Juddha Shamsher Rana, also known as
Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, was a prominent political figure in Nepal during the Rana
regime. He served as the Prime Minister of Nepal from 1932 to 1945. Evaluating his actions as
either good or bad depends on one's perspective, as historical judgments can be subjective
 Padma Shumsher Rana

(1945-1948)

Second son of Bhim Shamsher. His conservative approach failed to address mounting demands
for change. Youngest son of Bhim Shamsher. The last Rana Prime Minister. Faced growing
pressure from the democratic movement and ultimately signed a treaty ending Rana rule in
1951.1912 to 1913, was a key figure during the Rana regime. As with any historical figure,
assessing his actions involves considering various aspects of his rule. Here are some positive and
negative aspects associated with Padma Shamsher Rana:
 Interview With Locals

According to the locals we interviewed at Basantapur Durbar Square:

The cultures and the festivals were originated and preserved by the society. Each festivals and
jatras has its own uniqueness and values like how Indra Jatra was started by the Malla Kings. As
their belief in the gods and goddess. This practice even continued when Shah Rule started, the
new king used to be honoured with “Tikka”. Different kings ruled Kathmandu from this palace,
as they ruled they added different temples, architecture and monuments.

According to the locals, the Basantapur Durbar was established before the westerns even knew
about it. It is said that the Europeans took the knowledge from our country. Now as the time
went by, we are the ones who are dependent on them. Due to the political instability, Nepal faced
a great loss in its culture and economy. Our economy is dependent on others, Nepal still cannot
grow its economy due to the backlash. Nepal is being controlled by international countries such
as India, USA etc. We are slowly forgetting our culture and social values. In the locals
viewpoint, this political instability started since king Mahendra’s rule.

How our government is now

Our government is not for us, the government only operates for themselves. As the monarchy
ended and new government system based on political parties started, politics became a game on
who rises on top. This political system is based on nepotism and corruption. A government is
meant to work together but due to the political system, the power is being misutilized. A country
which is blessed with fertile, rich in flora and fauna and every atmosphere available. We are so
rich in culture language and morals that we should have been at the top of this world.

Nepal can change the current situation if we were able to utilize the natural resources and had a
proper government practice. We cannot blame our loss to the government, people or the
outsiders. This is a problem with our country but as the new generations are getting more
educated and ambitious, we are slowing starting to gain our prosperity back.
 Interview With Municipality Official

(We took an interview with Mr. Amit Bajracharya, an architecture working at Kathmandu
Municipality conservation program on Basantapur Durbar Square for the past 12 years as
conservation architect. His main work is a conservation architect.)

Political:
* According to Mr. Amit Bajracharya, he gave us insight on history, political background of
royal family and palaces with cultural trends and viewpoint on tourism*.

Before Malla kal period, there was no existence of Durbar square. Up until Lichhavi period
there was no entity of royal palace being recorded. Durbar square is only in four places:
Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan and Kritipur. Other than these four places, there is no other
durbar square of existence in Nepal. In their experience, Royal palaces and peripherals came
into existence after the Malla period.

Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan durbar square was so rich in architecture that the Three
Malla’s started competing against each other, so much that the durbar squares became
architecturally and economically rich. The special part of durbar was palace area. In every
durbar square, after palace area, there comes buffer area. Buffer area means, there is first
royal palace where royal family resides and in peripheral areas, there wasn’t any residence of
public. The houses attached with Royal family houses were Pradhan’s, Rajbhandari’s and
Joshi’s houses. That means the people who were directly attached with the Royal Family
were Ministers, then Royal officials, then Businessmen and then finally farmers. The Royal
palace is always on the central and around the circle there was city plan. The last settlement
of every durbar square is near a river where low cast people used to reside. Nowadays
immigrants have increased, and core local people have left so the low cast residence has been
turned over. Rajbhandari, Pradhan and Joshi always reside near the durbar areas, so it shows
they were linked with the Royal Family.
In durbar area, there exist aTaleju Temple because was the Kul Devta of Malla’s. The Durbar
Square is architecturally flourished that there was competition. If one durbar has big bell, the
others will also put big bell. If one durbar builds Krishna Temple, the other durbar will do the
same. All three durbar has built the same kind of Temples and monuments for that reason. It
wasn’t created by just one king. One king will probably rule for 20-25 years. One king
probably made 2 temples, some created one temple, some created no temple at all. That’s
why Durbar square has open space temples formation. This idea of building temple like this
formation wasn’t planned. Every durbar has cultural rules, every major festival has to go
through durbar square. Kathmandu has two major festivals: Indra jatra and Seto
Machindranath. Indra Jatra takes place infornt of Hanuman Dhoka palace which was started
by King Gunakamadeva in the late 10th century. Seto Machindranath is deity worshipped by
both Hindus and Buddhists. The temple is located in Jana Bahal. The dance has to be
performed in Durbar Square. There are certain rules and regulations like the jatra has specific
place and jatra dance has specific place. The importance of Durbar Square is that the place
culturally and socially binds people together. Kathmandu Durbar square was enlisted in
World Heritage Site in 1979 October as it became a living cultural heritage. Many heritage
sites in the world are mostly monuments not living sites, so people in Kathmandu Durbar
Square are still rich in culture and their practices.

For the conservation of Kathmandu Durbar Square, Mr. Amit mentioned that there were two
ways of conserving Durbar monuments and temples. They are tangible and intangible.

>Tangible conservation means the conservation of temples, Monuments, gods of whatever

physical structure. Whenever problem arises on Temples or monuments, the local
governance and Maha nagar palika allocates a fund. To bring any problem to a conclusion,
funding is most important. Help from local governance to list the problems, give out timely
materials and both local and maha nagar palika acting as one entity to provide fund to solve
the problems as quickly as possible. This is tangible conservation, support from both local
and maha nagar palika.

>Intangible: Every Newari caste and culture like Maharjan, Bajracharya, Barahi has its
religious values, and these Newari communities have a system called Guthi. The Guthi
system that has been going on for years have started to disappear in some communities. The
 income source started to disappear, so in order to preserve temple or monuments, to run local
party or even to fund a jatra became difficult. So the property of land has to be utilized or
sold to continue the Guthi system.. Eventually when Guthi started to disappear,
Mahanagarpalika and local governance started providing fund for Guthi to promote and save
intangible heritage culture. There are still communities with their own Guthi system who try
to support themselves to the best of their capabilities without the help of Local governance or
Mahanagarpalika.These were some of the methods mentioned by Mr. Amit to preserve the
durbar.

We also talked about how people and communities traditional jobs have changed. Each
Family used to have their own legacy. For example, Chitrakar used to be painters of God
statues, Bajracharya used to be Pujari’s, Barahi used to do woodwork for Machindranath etc.
These jobs were of high prestige and status, so even one person working in family was
enough to raise seven people in a household. But the same jobs now would hardly make ends
meet. So people have gone towards technical routes like Architect, Engineering and other
jobs to provide for their family as Mr. Amit said his family legacy is of a Pujari but he opted
for technical job of an Architect. With time being, many cultural and traditional jobs have
been lost as the work of the past is not enough to fund the lifestyle of today. Still there are
people who work on their legacy, but the ratio of family member working in legacy
compared to other members working in non-traditional field is less.. Even then, the legacy
jobs holds a huge value, during the time of tradition or festival we will need people who have
been working on legacy jobs and only they can do it and no one else. This is one of the
beautiful features of our tradition we have carried as we still require these cultural practice as
we need to preserve our values.

Talking about Tourism in Kathmandu Durbar square, Mr. Amit shed us light on the bad rumours
that almost harmed the tourism trend of Basantapur. He said that before earthquake, Kathmandu
Durbar Square was very famous, but after the earthquake, a lot of monuments, temples, statues
and overall structure of Durbar was in bad condition. Even after renovation were done, the
tourism department had seen a fall. He said that there was a negative comment going around that
Kathmandu durbar square was damaged the most among the three durbar and there was no point
in visiting. This caused a decrease in tourism significantly as tour guides and hotel management
didn’t refer visiting basantapur. The durbar wasn’t in good condition until 2017, so the tourist
 used to directly go to trekking and visiting mountains. Only in festive season, July to October
they saw spike of tourist visit. He also mentioned that the tourism isn’t completely dead as
people say, Basantapur has made significant income from tourism with their local business and
community. Basantapur is doing well in terms of tourism as people have made it priority to visit.
So Basantapur has seen a spike of tourist visit and good income compared to other durbars
recently. He mentioned around 12-14 crore money is generated annually which is pretty good for
a place that had to put itself backup from earthquake and the negative comments. He said that the
rumours are not true and Basantapur is still a very well respected and famous destination for
tourists to visit.
 Interview With Foreigner

Many tourists visit Nepal each day to see the art architecture and culture

So, we decided to ask some of them about what they think and know

about our art culture and history:

Most of the tourists we interviewed had arrived to Nepal a day or two before they visited
Basantapur which made us believe that it is one of the most important place.They said that the
temples, architecture, art and culture is what attracted them to visit this place. They were curious
to see how local people lives in the area, what are the activities they do in their day-to-day life,
how they celebrate festivals ets.

The tourists were facinated and interested in the history that the durbar holds throughout the
years, the tradition that holds and links the value of culture for generations. What fascinated
them was there were so many place to visit and so much history that made them feel a day is not
enough to gather everything. The Basantapur Durbar is rich in art and architecture which made
them feel the spirituality the place holds. According to them the Durbar was spacious as there is
a mixture of monuments, temples and open spaces to walk around. They found a huge cultural
diversity between their culture and ours as Nepali culture is completely different from what they
are used to, they were amazed by how diverse our culture and practices are like the festivals,
languages, foods etc .They also mentioned Nepal is quite something, it’s not a big country as
China or India but it is something special in terms of diversity, culture, architecture and so many
details in such a small country.

ome of the foreigners were revisiting Kathmandu Durbar Square after the earthquake and they
were surprised and happy that the durbar was able to keep itself up throughout these years. They
didn’t know much about the history of this place or the kings but described our country as one of
the most beautiful country and how it has a great potential for being one of the most famous
tourist destinations.

Problems In Basantapur Durbar Square

1) Traditional preservation methods:

In context of Nepal, Nepal still uses the old methods of preservation which takes a lot of
time and effort. Due to this many of the historical artifacts and monuments are still not restored
yet.

2) Earthquake damage:
One of the biggest challenge Basantapur Durbar Square has faced is the earthquake of
2015. Most of the temples, monuments and architecture were severely damaged. It’s 2023 now
and still some of the architectures are still not restored.

3) Political instability:
Nepal has been a politically unstable country for a long period of time. Nepal’s political
system is a corrupted one. This has affected the reconstruction and preservation process of
cultural sites.

4) Cultural identity and social issues:

Nepal’s culture is currently being affected by international cultures. Western country has
been influencing our country so much that people are slowly forgetting our culture norms and
values. Due to this some of our practices are becoming extinct, people are leaving our culture
and are attracted towards western cultures.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, this project has not only helped us connect with History of Kathmandu durbar

square, it has also given us insight on local communities, their legacy traditions, how the

communities around the durbar has seen changes in traditional work and how the durbar has

mesmerized the foreign tourists by its heritage. We were able understand multiple facts about the

durbar because of our team’s dedication and collaborative efforts to the project. As we conclude

our project, we have learned that it is essential we preserve and promote awareness of such

historical places is crucial for maintaining our cultural heritage. This project serves as an

inspiration to understand the importance to safeguard our past for the benefit of present and

future generations.

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Museums of Basantapur
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