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

Right
Detail of the displaced top roof
with scaffolding being installed to
begin repair work.
Photo mid-2015
Opposite
The top roof tilted onto the roof
tier below during the April 25th
earthquake, causing considerable
damage to the lower roofs.
ca. April 26 2015
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2015 Earthquake Damage to Taleju Agam North
Thanks to these repairs, the Taleju Agam North survived
the magnitude 7.8 earthquake of April 25, 2015 and
the tremors that followed, but it still suffered extensive
damages at the unrepaired upper levels. The two topmost
roofs of the four-tiered temple were left structurally
unstable and in danger of collapse. Further assessment
revealed that the brick masonry on these two stories was
cracked and in poor condition and timber elements were
already decaying. The sculptural pinnacle, made using
the traditional metal repoussé technique, had already
been damaged by numerous small earthquakes, exposure
to the elements, and years of neglect, and was threatened
by collapse even before the 2015 earthquake. The
supporting columns of the gilded pinnacle gave way this
time, and the entire upper level of Taleju North tipped
to the side, nearly crashing down on the Mul Cok palace
below.
Funding for Post-Earthquake Work
KVPT received funding from several sources for the
post-2015 earthquake repairs to the North Taleju. The
Sumitomo Foundation supported the structural rehabilitation,
extensive cleaning, and repair of the gilded
pinnacle and gilded top roof, and the fourth tier roof.
The goal was to restore this distinctive feature of Patan
Darbar’s temple-dotted skyline to its original beauty.
The Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation (the
largest funder of the Patan Royal Palace Project) and the
Prince Claus Fund pledged support for the Taleju Agam
North after the earthquake and again stepped up to provide
further support when closer study revealed the need
to replace parts of the copper pinnacle and repair additional
masonry damage to the upper walls of the agam.
Rebuilding of the Upper Levels of the Agam
It was ultimately decided that the scope of repairs would
include dismantling and rebuilding the top two stories
of the temple. Scaffolding at the two upper floors was
provided, and dismantling work started with the removal
of the pinnacle. The upper brick walls were dismantled,
and the related timber framing, - eaves, rafters,
figurative struts of the hanging eaves, - and roof tiles
were removed.
Rebuilding started from the fourth floor (directly above
the main shrine). New timber elements included cross
beams, upright posts, lintels and sill beams to replace old
decayed members. Brick masonry with traditional mud
mortar was laid using traditional techniques.
To ensure the stability of the roofs, the lower ends of the
timber struts, which were shorter in length than needed,
were replaced by new timber elements while keeping
as much of the original timber as possible. The eaves
boards were reconstructed using traditional methods
and materials.
Stainless steel plates were used where necessary to connect
the timber framework to the rafters. The blind windows,
some of which were reassembled by local wood
carvers, were anchored to the brick masonry with steel
rods to ensure better stability.