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

There are a few problems that can be addressed at the
Visnu temple level (fig. 6). Probably due to inconvenience
during the rains, tin sheds (fig. 10) have been erected
in between the chattris, reducing the aesthetic quality
of the façade. The other addition to the main structure
is the iron pipe railing (fig. 9). However, both of these
may have helped in preventing the damage to this level
due to the earthquake.
The temple seems to have been repaired at some earlier
date. All the stone joints have been repointed and stone
plastic repairs done. This has been done with a grey cement-like
material (fig. 11).
9
Vishnu temple level: Iron pipe
railing.
10
Vishnu temple level: Temporary
tin roof
11
Vishnu temple level: Cement repairs
on the ceiling of a chattri
Second floor
The maximum damage seems to be at the second floor,
the Shiva temple level. If one looks at the plans (figs. 2,
4 and 7), the structure at this level is the most delicate
and the heavy roof (fig. 3) is supported on slender colonnades
(fig. 14). It is probably for this reason that the
maximum damage was caused to this level.
Due to the lateral movement during the earthquake, the
columns have moved out of plumb (fig. 12); old repairs
have come out; the columns, brackets, and bases of the
columns have been damaged (figs. 16–22, 24); the window
frames and key stones have been dislodged (fig. 18);
and some stones, especially at the corners of the domed
womb-chamber (garbha griha) have been severely damaged.
priests. It opens every morning for morning aarti (vesper
service) and bhajans (singing of devotional songs). The
priest worships the deity and the temple is again closed
till evening. The same process is repeated after sunset.
The daily use by the locals keeps the temple vibrant and
alive and reduces deterioration due to neglect and disuse.
But it causes some wear and tear to the building and
especially carved stones.
Recommendation for repairs
As suggested by Gutschow the temple was probably designed
to withstand earthquakes. If one looks at the arrangement
of stones carefully, the garbha griha is octagonal
in plan with a domical roof (fig. 8). The roof rests on
a ring beam which in turn rests on lintel beams.
The lintel beams are transferring the load to stone (1).
In all the four corners the stone (2) is left largely free of
the structural system, probably designed to ‘fail’ during
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