KVPT’s Patan Darbar Earthquake Response Campaign - Work to Date - September 2016

Patan Darbār Square, looking
east towards the northern wing
of the palace and the two mandapas.
A brick wall is built between
the southern columns of South
Manimaṇḍapa and one western
opening.
Photo by Dr. Kurt Boeck, 1890
knee walls rising above the cornices and supported by 20
ornate wooden struts.
In addition, four pillars inside the halls supported the
cross beams. Carved wooden god-windows and blind
windows punctuated the upper level brick masonry.
Taylor’s photo also testifies to the mandapas’ modification
in the 19th century, i.e., waist-high planking between
the northern columns, brick walls in two of the
three eastern openings of South Manimaṇḍapa, and the
installaiton of planks between North Manimaṇḍapa’s
eastern columns. This situation lasted at least until the
end of the 19th century, as documented in a photo published
by Kurt Boeck in 1898 in which brick walls are
also visible between some western pillars.
Both mandapas survived the earthquake of 1934. Two
photographs taken by Mary S. Slusser in 1970 show that
by that time, the plankings and brick walls had been
removed. The wall that had originally surrounded the
stepwell at its northern, southern, and eastern side, at
some point in history had been extended in such a way
that it partially enclosed the mandapas. The figurative
roof struts, many of which were lost between the 1970s
and early 21st century, are still evident in Slusser’s photos.
The cornice of North Manimaṇḍapa fell prey to some
renovation activities prior to the 1970’s. On the occasion
of King Birendra’s coronation in February 1975, minor
repair was undertaken and the older timber flooring was
replaced with stone slabs after the filling of the plinth
with rubble. This action caused the decay of the bottom
ends of the central pillars and the pairs of crossbeams. In
the late 20th century, most of the struts were replaced
by plain timber struts. In 2010, again, the plinth was
repaired in the course of the renovation of the walls of
the Maṅgahiṭī.
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