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

The Restoration and Rebuilding of
the North Manimaṇḍapa, Patan
Darbār Square
History
Even though the construction date of the North
Manimaṇḍapa (“Pavilion of Jewels”) cannot be confirmed,
the structure likely dates to the seventeenth century.
Daniel Wright quotes a source and names Bir Deva
as the Licchavi king who built the mandapas, along with
the tank and watercourses. Renovation of the site was
carreid out under Raja Yoganarendra Malla in ca. 1701,
and a throne was installed.
At some point, the timber cornices fell prey to the modification
of the building and were replaced in brick.
On the occasion of King Birendra’s coronation in 1974,
the North Manimaṇḍapa was altered significantly. The
timber planking was replaced by stone slabs, and the
ventilated plinth was filled with rubble. When the step
well, Maṅgahiṭī, was renovated in 2010, minor repairs
were made to the plinth of the North Manimaṇḍapa.
century shape despite several alterations in the centuries
that followed its contruction, will serve as the model for
the reconstruction of its norhtern counterpart. Historic
photographs of the North Manimaṇḍapafrom the 19th
and early 20th centuries will also inform the design.
The design will maximize the reuse of salvaged historic
elements and will use appropriate historic materials to
replace unsalvageable or missing pieces.
The North Manimaṇḍapa will also require state-of-theart
seismic strengthening as the immense load of the knee
walls and roof have to be supported by the 16 timber
columns above the plinth. Better connectivity throughout,
including between the columns and the plinth and
foundation, is imperative for life safety and durability.
Existing Condition After the 2015 Earthquake
The North Manimaṇḍapa ground floor beams were rotten
even before the earthquake.
All of the 16 timber pillars were partially damaged in the
2015 earthquake, and their upper tenons were broken.
One column broke into four pieces.
The column capitals (metha) are all in good condition.
An entire set of new beams and crossed beams need to
introduced as the existing were damaged by wet rot and
smaller sections were used in the last renovation.
The timber conices were already lost before the 1970s,
and the same is true for the original terracotta cornices
Nothing salvageable is left from the roof.
Proposed Rebuilding
The South Manimaṇḍapa, which kept its early 18th-
Opposite
View of the North Manimaṇḍapa,
seen from the east. Detail of a photograph
taken ca. 1863 by Clarence
Comyn Tayler.
Courtesy of National Geographic Society
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