NEPAL
GEOGRAPHICAL
• Nepal forms an irregular parallelogram some
720 km long and 240 km in average breadth,
extending across the Himalayas and along the
northern border of India.
GEOGRAPHICAL
• It is mainly composed of high mountains, which
include Mount Everest, and is sparsely
inhabited, except in a small area in the center,
the valley of Nepal.
• In prehistoric times, this was a shallow lake;
today it is an undulating tract of land used for
the cultivation of rice, millet, oil seed and
tobacco,
• It contains three old capitals, KATMANDU,
PATAN, and BHATGAON.
HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL
• The bulk of the population are 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 never really modified.
Newars
Gurkhas
HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL
• The arts flourished especially during the time of
the MULLA RAJAS.
• In 1768 a Gurkha Raja seized the kingdom and a
Gurkha dynasty, Hindu by adoption and
intermarriage, has since ruled the country.
• Real power, however, lay in the hands of
hereditary prime ministers.
• Since 1950, there has been a cabinet and an
elected parliament.
RELIGIOUS
• Records state that in the 3rd century BC, the
Indian emperor Asoka brought Buddhism to the
valley of Nepal and built many stupas to
commemorate his mission.
• In the 5th and again in the 7th century, both
Buddhist and Hindu settlements were formed,
conversion made and monasteries founded.
RELIGIOUS
• Since then Hinduism and Buddhism, with
Tibetan Tantric influences, have existed side by
side.
• Tibetan influence is also apparent in the
mysticism and symbolism inspired by the great
mountains and the lonely grandeur of the
country.
▫ Lying above and between two great Eastern
civilizations of India and China, Nepal has drawn
deeply from both cultures, which are reflected in
the exuberant decorative treatment of buildings.
▫ STUPAS, TEMPLES, PICTURESQUE
TOWNSHIPS and INTRICATE NATIVE
CRAFTSMANSHIP are her characteristic
architectural heritage.
Stupas
Temples
Picturesque townships
• The oldest monuments are STUPAS, two being
associated with the Emperor Asoka, the
SWAYAMBUNATH and the BODHNATH, both
near Katmandu.
• These preserve the form of the earliest Buddhist
structure of this type.
• The orthodox hemispherical mound is faced with
brick masonry, surrounded by a brick plinth which
serves as the processional path.
SWAYAMBUNATH STUPA
BODHNATH STUPA
• Two kinds of temple survive: the SIKHARA and
the PAGODA; the first reflecting Indian and the
second Chinese and Burmese influences.
• In either case the temple is a shrine enclosing a
cella for the god or divine symbol.
Sikhara
Pagoda
• A typical feature of a Nepalese town is the
MONUMENTAL PILLAR, generally supporting
a metal superstructure adorned with mystic
symbols, groups of divinities and, especially,
portrait statuary of royalties.
• SECULAR ARCHITECTURE IS PRINCIPALLY
OF WOOD, but brick is used for structural
purposes and metal for ornament.
SECULAR ARCHITECTURE
• In larger townships, the street facades of the
houses, which are usually planned to embrace
and internal courtyard, are very elaborately
treated.
• Such buildings are frequently of THREE
STOREYS: the GROUND FLOOR, probably
SERVING AS A SHOP, is recessed beneath an
overhanging first floor, which in turn is
overhung by the top storey.
• Each floor is supported by brackets and struts,
ornately carved and sometimes painted.
• The WINDOWS have
intrinsic LATTICE
SCREENS, and
ROOFS have RED
CURVED TILES,
METAL GUTTERS
and a PROJECTING
CORNICE for
protection against
the rain.
PROJECTING CORNICE
SECULAR ARCHITECTURE
• Every feature is fancifully decorated with:
▫ CARVING
▫ EMBOSSING
▫ TWINKLING BELLS and
▫ HANGING LAMPS.
SECULAR ARCHITECTURE
• The Nepalese delight in ornament is typified by
the MAKARA form of rainwater spouts, which
are characteristic of Buddhist iconography and
often works of art.
THE SWAYAMBUNATH STUPA
• The SWAYAMBUNATH STUPA in Katmandu is
an Asokan tumulus on a hill rising from a valley.
It is the oldest stupa in Nepal.
• It stands on a low, narrow plinth and has a
medieval addition of an immense finial, a
conical spire in thirteen diminishing tiers
symbolizing the thirteen Buddha heavens, with a
striking umbrella apex.
• The umbrella apex stands on a high square base,
which has a very large pair of human eyes,
symbolizing the ALL-SEEING-ONE, embossed
in metal and ivory on each of the four sides and
seeming to follow the movements of the pilgrim.
THE BODHNATH STUPA
• The Bodhnath Stupa, Katmandu has been
restored in recent times, but the old forms are
visible in the plain, austere lines of the three
platforms 14 meters high, low tumulus and the
14-meter high spire resembling the finial of the
Swayambunath.
THE SACRED TOWN OF PASUPATI
• The Sacred Town of Pasupati, the Benares of
Nepal, stands on the banks of the Bagmati River.
Dedicated to Siva, it consists entirely of stone
and wood temples, with a burning GHAT by the
river.
STUPA – a mound
forming a Buddhist
sacred monument
SIKHARA – the
tower or spire of a
medieval Hindu
temple
PAGODA – a multi-
storied shrine-like
tower, originally an
Buddhist monument
crowned by a stupa.
Stories may be open
pavilions of wood
with balconies and
pent roofs, of
diminishing size with
corbelled cornices.
CELLA – the
sanctuary of a
classical temple,
containing the
statue of a god
BRACKET – any
overhanging
member projecting
from a wall to
support a weight
such as a cornice
STRUT – a brace
which resists
thrusts in the
direction of its own
length, may be
upright, diagonal or
horizontal
TUMULUS – a
mound of earth or
stone protecting a
tomb chamber or
simple grave
GHAT – a landing
place or platform on
the bank of a river
FINIAL – an
ornament which
terminates the point
of a spire
