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

Taleju Agam South
Pre-earthquake project, earthquake damage,
and KVPT post-earthquake project
By Liz Newman
History of the agam and summary of KVPT projects
The history of theTaleju Agam South is similar to and
included in the history of the Taleju Agam North in the
preceding chapter.
Also referred to as South Taleju, the tower, which rises
above and intersects Mul Cok South Wing and Sundari
Cok North Wing, underwent significant repairs and restoration
and had seismic strengthening installed by the
Trust as part of the Patan Royal Palace Complex Restoration
Project between 2013 and early 2015. Funding
support came from the Prince Claus Fund (Netherlands)
and the Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation
(US State Department).
In 2013, the agam was structurally unstable and in poor
condition, and its gilded sikhara-style sculptural pinnacle
was leaking and in an advanced state of disrepair,
threatening collapse. As a part of the Patan Palace project,
the Taleju Agam South was repaired, restored, and
reinforced by KVPT. Deteriorated roofing assemblies
and the gilt copper pinnacle were restored and repaired;
brick walls were repointed; uncarved structural timbers
were replaced, struts were cleaned; and seismic strengthening
measures at and just above the Mul Cok roof were
implemented. By February 2015, the agam project was
completed, scaffolding had been removed, and only the
reinstallation of roofing below the scaffolding remained.
Six weeks later, on April 25, 2015, the Taleju Agam
South survived the earthquake that struck the Kathmandu
Valley completely intact, with the exception of the
part of the agam above the middle roof - the upper cornice
and uppermost roof tier and pinnacle, - which fell
off as a unit and landed wedged into the space between
the roofs of Mul Cok and Sundari Cok, causing minor
roof damage as it fell.
The Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation responded
rapidly after the earthquake with support for
repair and reinstallation of the fallen pieces and roof repairs
below. Post-earthquake repairs to the Taleju Agam
South and related roofing repairs below were completed
by KVPT in late August 2016.
Existing conditions in 2013:
.Disrepair and leaking of gilded copper pinnacle (gajura),
including poor previous repairs such as non-matching
replacement colonnettes and rotting of wood substrate
. Top and middle roofs were structurally unsound due
to rotting and generally poor condition of all rafters and
wall plates.
. Poor roofing conditions on all three roof levels, damaged
terra cotta roof tiles (jhingati), severe deterioration
and leaking of bituminous membrane
. Poor condition of mud pointing mortar at Mul Cok
roof level and just above
. Structural instability of lower walls at/ just above
the level of the Mul Cok south wing roof (The roofs
of Sundari Cok north wing and Mul Cok south wing,
which had been awkwardly joined to cover the passage
between the two buildings, were reconfigured during the
palace project to again be separated, changing the support
to the agam.)
Repairs and Restoration by KVPT, 2013-2015
The scope of repairs for the initial project included the
following:
Roofs: Complete dismantling and rebuilding of all three
roofs. All rotten rafters (about 50%) and wall plates were
replaced. Rotten planking was replaced (100%) and a
layer of marine grade plywood was introduced on top
of the planking for bracing. A new waterproof membrane
and traditional mud bed were installed and cov-
Opposite
Taleju Agam South, view from the
west across Patan Darbar Square..
Photo by Raju Roka, February 27 2015
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