The standard works on the traditional architecture of Nepal are in great demand these days. Many local and foreign journals have put a lot of subjective emphasis on Nepalese architecture. In fact, a lot of tourists have been so fascinated by our historical and traditional buildings that they have actually conducted various studies on the subject. Perfect examples of Nepalese architecture are abundant in places like Bhaktapur, which makes it a hit on the tourist charts. These pictorial buildings depicting our culture have attracted a lot of foreign as well as local scholars and a wide number of tourists, proving helpful showcasing our traditional architecture as a tourist attraction. The new age architects divide our architecture into three main categories: the vermacular (residential), the monumental and the monastery style. However the main styles in our architecture in Nepal canbe broadly divided into: the Newarihouse, the Buddhist Monastery, the Hindu Priest house, the Royal Palaces/Durbars, the Temples and the Public Rest houses.
As the lifestyle of Newars has remained relatively unchanged, the original building design and construction has been retained. The universal characteristic of this design is the vertical room arrangement, not dependant on the size of the house. Symmetry is the aim of this design of facade. Generally, these are three storied, uniform depth, with extensions of equal heights with narrow windows. Courtyard or Chowk, providing both security and privacy and a single narrow and low gateway (the only access to the courtyard) completes the Newari house. Entrance doors are barred with two massive wooden planks while windows are closed by fine wooden latticework; shutters too are an equal option. The most important communication to the street, other than the door, is through the San Jhya window in the main living room. They have pitched roofs and the most commonly used materials are burnt brick and timber. In short, it is a multipurpose area, effective for most of the daily activities. The interior furnishing and decorations are simple and contrasting to the lavish facades.
The Buddhist nonastery, popularly known as the Vihara is generally a two-storied court style building. Its harmony with the surrounding architecture makes it relatively inconspicuous and is often unrecognized-the reason we have barely 400 Vihars in the Kathmandu valley. The main examples of the style are : Bahil, which is built on a raised platform above the street level and is a two-storied building surrounding a sunken square courtyard, normally paved with squared tiles. The ground floor is totally sealed off from outside except for the doorway in the front wall. Projecting balconies enlarge the upper floors. A dark room is built over the shrin in the ground floor and the doors open to the large balconies. The roof comprises of a wide overhanging roof and used roof space. A fine example is Pintu Bahil in Patan. Bahal, is a two storied court style building with its floors divided into different rooms overlooking the courtyard, which is sunken except for the narrow walkways around it. The building rests on a low plinth-like base. Each of the staircases in the four corners leads to a group of three rooms above. These four groups have no intercommunicating doors or passages. The roof space is used except for the bell shaped pinnacle above the shrine of Gajur, as found in Chhusya Bahal in Kathmandu; Bahal-Bahil is a combination of the above two styles into single Vihara type. The example of this style is Nauddha Kacha Bahal in Patan.
The Hindu Priest House or Math, has the location, orientation and its internal planning corresponding to that of a standard dwelling house. Large Maths comprise of several smaller house units called Ghars, centered possibly on a courtyard. It ha no fixed orientation but they are normally three-storied building. The central load bearing wall and design of the facade resembles that of a residential building. The location of the shrine is generally not fixed. The gorund floor consists of servant's quarters, stables or stores; the first floor as a grain storages, guestrooms of bedrooms; the the kitchen is located in the top follr or the attic. The biggest concentration of Maths is located around the Dattatreya temple in the Tachapal Tol of eastern Bhaktapur.
Layku on the other hand is the old Newari term for the word 'palace' and refers to only palatial buildings. Large squares and temples surrounding the palaces are named either after the various Tols in which they are situated, the streets they adjoin or the important buildings or sections of the buildings. The Hanuman Dhoka refers not only to the Hanuman gate of the palace, but also to the Durbar (palace) itself and to the square formed by the two wings of the Durbar. The Durbar squares of the three large cities of the valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, differ greatly in appearance depending on its position in the city and the grouping and style of the buildings within. After the earthquake of 1934, several structural alterations were made to the palaces, specially the palace of Kathmandu. The palacesof Patan and Bhaktapur are difficult to examine, as they haven't been the official abodes of monarchy for more than 200 years now. The old palace of Kathmandu now comes to life only during Royal weddings, funerals, coronation and similar occasions requiring traditional ceremony.
As the lifestyle of Newars has remained relatively unchanged, the original building design and construction has been retained. The universal characteristic of this design is the vertical room arrangement, not dependant on the size of the house. Symmetry is the aim of this design of facade. Generally, these are three storied, uniform depth, with extensions of equal heights with narrow windows. Courtyard or Chowk, providing both security and privacy and a single narrow and low gateway (the only access to the courtyard) completes the Newari house. Entrance doors are barred with two massive wooden planks while windows are closed by fine wooden latticework; shutters too are an equal option. The most important communication to the street, other than the door, is through the San Jhya window in the main living room. They have pitched roofs and the most commonly used materials are burnt brick and timber. In short, it is a multipurpose area, effective for most of the daily activities. The interior furnishing and decorations are simple and contrasting to the lavish facades.
The Buddhist nonastery, popularly known as the Vihara is generally a two-storied court style building. Its harmony with the surrounding architecture makes it relatively inconspicuous and is often unrecognized-the reason we have barely 400 Vihars in the Kathmandu valley. The main examples of the style are : Bahil, which is built on a raised platform above the street level and is a two-storied building surrounding a sunken square courtyard, normally paved with squared tiles. The ground floor is totally sealed off from outside except for the doorway in the front wall. Projecting balconies enlarge the upper floors. A dark room is built over the shrin in the ground floor and the doors open to the large balconies. The roof comprises of a wide overhanging roof and used roof space. A fine example is Pintu Bahil in Patan. Bahal, is a two storied court style building with its floors divided into different rooms overlooking the courtyard, which is sunken except for the narrow walkways around it. The building rests on a low plinth-like base. Each of the staircases in the four corners leads to a group of three rooms above. These four groups have no intercommunicating doors or passages. The roof space is used except for the bell shaped pinnacle above the shrine of Gajur, as found in Chhusya Bahal in Kathmandu; Bahal-Bahil is a combination of the above two styles into single Vihara type. The example of this style is Nauddha Kacha Bahal in Patan.
The Hindu Priest House or Math, has the location, orientation and its internal planning corresponding to that of a standard dwelling house. Large Maths comprise of several smaller house units called Ghars, centered possibly on a courtyard. It ha no fixed orientation but they are normally three-storied building. The central load bearing wall and design of the facade resembles that of a residential building. The location of the shrine is generally not fixed. The gorund floor consists of servant's quarters, stables or stores; the first floor as a grain storages, guestrooms of bedrooms; the the kitchen is located in the top follr or the attic. The biggest concentration of Maths is located around the Dattatreya temple in the Tachapal Tol of eastern Bhaktapur.
Layku on the other hand is the old Newari term for the word 'palace' and refers to only palatial buildings. Large squares and temples surrounding the palaces are named either after the various Tols in which they are situated, the streets they adjoin or the important buildings or sections of the buildings. The Hanuman Dhoka refers not only to the Hanuman gate of the palace, but also to the Durbar (palace) itself and to the square formed by the two wings of the Durbar. The Durbar squares of the three large cities of the valley: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, differ greatly in appearance depending on its position in the city and the grouping and style of the buildings within. After the earthquake of 1934, several structural alterations were made to the palaces, specially the palace of Kathmandu. The palacesof Patan and Bhaktapur are difficult to examine, as they haven't been the official abodes of monarchy for more than 200 years now. The old palace of Kathmandu now comes to life only during Royal weddings, funerals, coronation and similar occasions requiring traditional ceremony.
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