Nepal Architecture

I. INFLUENCES

A. GEOGRAPHICAL

-Nepal is a sovereign independent kingdom situated on the southern slopes of the

mid Himalayas.
-Mainly composed of high mountains, which include Mount Everest.
-It is located between 26˚22' and 30˚27' north latitude and 80˚4' and 80˚12' east
longitude.
-Total land area is 147,181 square kilometers
-Kathmandu is the capital and largest urban agglomerate of Nepal. The agglomerate
consists of Kathmandu Metropolitan City at its - core, and its sister cities Patan,
Kirtipur, Thimi, and Bhaktapur.
-Kathmandu Valley located in Nepal, lies at the crossroads of ancient civilizations
of Asia, and has at least 130 important monuments, including several pilgrimage
sites for Hindus and Buddhists

B. CLIMATIC

-Nepal has four Distinct Seasons

 Spring, from march to may-is warm and dusty with rain showers.
 Summer, from June to August-is the monsoon season when the hills turn lush and
green.
 Autumn, from September to November-is cool with clear skies, and is the most
popular trekking season.
 Winter, from December to February-it is cold at night and can be foggy in the
early morning but afternoons are usually clear and pleasant, though there is
occasional mountains.

C. HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL

-Newars and Gurkhas (of Tibetan-Mongol stock) - Who settled in Nepal in very early
times and established an indigenous style in art and architecture, which successive
migrations and invasions from India have never materially modified.
 GURKHAS - also spelled as Gorkhas, are soldiers from the South Asian country of
Nepal.
 NEWARS OR NEWAR PEOPLE - are the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley and
its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic civilization.
-Indigenous style in arts and architecture nevermaterialized because of Migrations
and invasions fromIndia 14th, 15th and early 18th C- arts flourished during the
reign ofMulla Rajas
-1768: Gurkha Raja seized the empire. Rajput a Gurkhadynasty, Hindu by adoption and
intermarriage ruled the country.

D. RELIGIONS

1. Hinduism-The first people to set foot in the ancient Nepal were Aryans. The
Aryans' basic beliefs are recorded in the Vedas. Vedas - a collection of over one
thousand religious hymns that were to form the foundation of the polytheistic
religion of Hinduism.
2. Buddhism -Buddhism splitted into two main schools of thought: Hinayana (do not
worship idols of Buddha) and Mahayana. Very few other Nepalese Buddhists have
adopted the Hinayana school of thought, choosing rather to follow Mahayana
teachings. One of the central beliefs of Mahayanists is that one can achieve
nirvana by following the example of Bodhisattvas, Bodhi meaning enlightenment and
Sattva meaning essence.
3. Tantrism -Trantrism is a religion of moral percepts, meditation, yoga, mantras
and a philosophy that believes in interwovenness of all things. " Tantra" is a
Sanskrit word referring to the basic warp of threads in weaving.
4. Islam and Christianity-Avery small minority of Nepalese adheres to Islam and
Christianity. Muslims and Christians believe and practice in much the same way as
their counterparts in the western and other countries.

II. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER AND EXAMPLES

- Nepal has drawn deeply from both cultures(Eastern civilization of India and
China), which are reflected in the exuberant decorative treatment of buildings.

1. STUPAS/CHORTEN – oldest monuments

A. Swayambhunath
-An ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of
Kathmandu city.
-It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the
north-west parts of the temple.
-The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees', for the many varieties of
trees found on the hill.

B. Boudhanath
-Is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal It is known as Khāsti. Located about 11 km(6.8mi)
from the center northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu.-One of the largest spherical
stupas in the world

2. TEMPLES - multi-tiered temples

A. Krishna Temple, Patan

-One of the most beautiful stone temples of Nepal built by King Siddhinarsingh
Malla in the 16th century.
-Patan also known as Manigal, is one of the major cities of Nepal located in the
southcentral part of Kathmandu Valley.

B. Bhawani Temple, Bhatgaon

-The pagoda and Tantric type, has the characteristic five –storey overhung roofs
and stands on a high plinth of five receding terraces with a stairway leading up to
the shrine embraced by the arcaded verandah.

3. Towns

DURBAR SQUARE
-generic name used to describe plazas opposite old royal palaces in Nepal.
-Newar Architecture by the indigeneous inhabitants of Kathmandu valley.
-Typical formal feature is the monumental pillar supporting a metal superstructure
adorned with mystical symbols, group of divinities and portrait statuary of
royalties.
-Newars developed their own architectural styles and technology, mainly based on
two building materials: wood and clay (bricks) with metal used for ornaments.
-Street facades of houses, usually planned with interior courtyards are elaborately
treated.
-buildings are of 3 storey:
• Ground floor- served as a shop, recessed beneath an overhanging first floor
which is overhung by the upper level.
• Trabeated system of construction. Wooden posts, beams and struts used in the
houses are clear intermingling of the structure and ornamentation.
• Each floor is supported by brackets and struts, ornately curved and sometimes
painted.
• Double pitched roof with the ridge on the line of the central spine wall. The
structure is of timber and comprises columns on the central line.
• Hovering roof form with bracket support overhanging precariously on building
walls with bracket support.
• Set one over the other in a Pagoda form. Covered with special clay tiles
(jhingati) with metal gutters.
• Protect brick walls in mud mortar from the rain and sun: Overhang: Dwelling -
1000mm, Vihara - 1500mm, Temples-up to 4000 mm.
• Windows have intricate lattice screens
• Craftsmanship can be seen in the lavished works on the pillars, lateral
pilasters, lintels and beam or on the brackets which support the projecting eaves
of the roofs.
• Lintels over openings are of timber and often in stepping threeparts, upwards
towards the inside
• Fully decorated with carvings, embossing, tinkling bells and hanging lamps.

A. PATAN
-Lalitpur (the city of beauty)-ancient name
-Circular in shape and situated about 3 miles south-east of Kathmandu, a short
distance from the southern bank of the river Bagmati.
-The Durbar Square, built in the reign of Raja Beer Deva in 299 A.D .
-City full of Buddhist monuments
-Shiva temples with fine bronze gateways, deities carvings.

DURBAR SQUARE (MANGLE BAZAAR)

-Ancient royal residential square of Malla Kings. Consist of the following:
-Golden Gate:Dates from the reign of Raja Ranjit Malla in 1786 AD. Famous as the
richest piece of art in the whole Kingdom
-A place of 55 windows:(National Gallery) Old palace of brick walls remarkable for
its carved balcony with 55 windows. built by Raja Yasksha Malla in 1427 AD.
-The Lion Gate:Famous for its arts in column. Erected by Raja Yaksha Malla in 1427
A.D.
-Statue of Bhupatindra Malla
-The biggest bell in the whole Kingdom
-Pagodas and Sikhara temples

B. SACRED TOWN OF PASUPATI (17TH CENTURY.)

-Stands on the banks of the Bagmati, dedicated to Lord Shiva
-Holy Region of Hindu, and community of Nepalese Buddhists.
-Consists of stone and wooden temples, with a burning ghat by the river

Tibetan Architecture

I. INFLUENCES

A. GEOGRAPHICAL

• Bordered on the north and east by China, to the south by India, Nepal and Bhutan,
and on the west of India.
• Tibet is the highest country in the world lying at the heart of Himalayas.
• This rugged land is a large plateau varying in height between 4,000 and 5,000 m.
• Very thinly populated, the inhabited area are almost exclusively in the south,
where sheep and yaks are grazed and some agriculture is possible.

B. RELIGIOUS

• Bonpo – an animistic faith which included elements of mysticism and sorcery

• Mahayana Buddhism (1630 A.D.) - introduced and tempered by Indian Buddhism.
C. HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL

•Until the 7thC- small regions kingdoms wereestablished under King Sron-Btsang-Gam-
Powith 2 Buddhist wives
•Monasteries, Chief Abbot ( the Grand or DalaiLama became ruler of Tibet )
•19th-20thC- Tibet has become an autonomousstate of Peoples Republic of China

II. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

•Influenced by Indian Buddhism

•9th century influence from the east:-stupas-monastery- fortress like, sited on
hilltops, not regular in plan,built of stones and bricks
•Temple: rectangular stone building, vermillion and yellowbands in the eaves
•Roof: carries a chinese pagoda type pavillion, tile or beatenclay roofing
•Plan resembles a chaityas . Pillars and Beams are paintedyellow or red
•Walls are covered with frescoes or silks

III. EXAMPLES

A. Temple Architecture

Ramoche Temple: Built under the patronage of Princess Wencheng, also has undergone
4 repairs and expansion. The original layout of the Temple was like an upper
jawbone of a lion and the whole structure was east facing, according to the
documents

B. Monastery Architecture

Sakya Monastery (1071): Once famous for itscollection of Sanskrit and Tibetan
Manuscripts,7 storeys high with spacious assembly hall. The seat oftheSakya
orSakyapa schoolof Tibetan Buddhism, it wasfounded in 1073, by KonchokGyelpo (1034-
1102), originallyaNyingmapa monk of thepowerful noble family oftheTsang and became
thefirstSakya Trizin. Its powerfulabbots governedTibet duringthe whole of the 13th
centuryafter the downfall of the kingsuntil they were eclipsed by therise of
thenewGelukpa schoolofTibetan Buddhism.

C. Pagoda Architecture

The Palkor Pagoda: The most typical and well preserved pagoda • Palkor Pagoda has
13 storeys. Its plan is a mandala. From the bottom to top, there are several
components, including 13 stone stages, a pedestal, an invertedbowl shaped lower
body, a bottle like upper body and a neck known as ‘thirteen heavens’ and so forth.

D. Palace Architecture

Potala Palace, Lhasa: Built for the 5th DalaiLama. Skycraper like sloping walls,
guildedroofs and bells, richly decorated sanctuaries,reception and state rooms.
Situated on the Red Hillof central Lhasa, PotalaPalace is the highestancient palace
in theworld, reaching3,767.19m (12,359.55ft) atthe topmost point. Potala named
after aholy hill in South India isa Sanskrit word meaning"Abode of
theAvalokitesvara (Buddhaof Mercy)."