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

Opposite
Inventory of the surviving roof
struts of South Manimaṇḍapa.
Six struts remain which feature
fragmented deities with lost forearms.
The four corner struts with
“corner horses” (Nev. kũsalaḥ) are
complete.
Patan, 11 April 2016
304
Roof Struts
South Manimaṇḍapa’s roof was originally supported by
twenty struts. Sixteen struts represented certain deities in
distinct postures, holding their characterizing attributes
in their two hands. Each forearm of the bipartite arms
was connected to the figure’s upper arm with iron hinges.
Already before 25 April 2015, some of these struts
had been lost. The four corner struts which supported
the Manimaṇḍapa’s heavy roof and spiritually protected
it represent two pairs of female and male “corner horses”
(Nev. kũsalaḥ) –– hybrid creatures in the form of horned
and winged lions. Ten struts survive, among them the
four corner struts. The cross-legged, garland-wearing
deities in diaphanous garments on five of the struts have
lost their forearms, including the attributes that were
important parts of their iconography. Despite this fact,
two can be identified as they are riding on their typical
mounts: Mahālakshmi on a snake, and Unmatta Bhairava
on a lion. The iconography of one strut, showing
Hanuman, the central figure of the Hindu epic Ramayana,
is different compared to the others. Furthermore,
Hanuman is constructed in a different manner, which
becomes evident if one studies his remaining upper arms
that seemed to be of one single part (there remain no
holes as the forearms are missing). The strut may have
originally belonged to some other building and was possibly
recycled at the South Manimaṇḍapa.
The conservation of the struts will turn out to be a difficult
issue: Which strut or deity is missing remains unclear
due to the lack of pre-earthquake documentation.
In this context, a replacement of the lost struts is impossible.
At the same time, the lost forearms and attributes
of the remaining deities cannot be reconstructed using
3-dimensional models. This situation will likely be resolved
with the installation of blank timber struts and
fragmented carved struts,- in other words, a fragmented
state of repair.
Roof
The roof will be reconstructed with new materials since
there is nothing left that can be reused.
Open Questions
In the South Manimaṇḍapa, the rebuilding is taken as an
opportunity to reconfigure the structure’s latest state of
repair to return as closely to the historic design as possible,
as there have been more recent changes to the building
made in the course of renovations. However, it will
be a matter of discussion to determine which historic design
is the. There is only one historic photograph, taken
by Clarence Comyn Taylor in 1863, that guides us. As
discussed, this photo does not show the original design,
but a mandapa that was already altered. And a significant
question must be addressed regarding the future shape of
the surrounding wall of the stepwell.