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

Mahavishnu Temple
As another component of the
Kathmandu Darbar initiative,
KVPT supported the Department
of Archaeology's rebuilding of the
ruined Mahavishnu Temple just
opposite Indrapur. The dilapidated
state of this multi-leveled pagoda
had resulted from lack of maintenance
and water damage to the roof
and wall structures. The full reconstruction
was undertaken by Department
of Archaeology without
the introduction of any structural
improvements in 2002. The rebuilt
temple masonry walls were erected
using lime surkhi mortar with white
cement.
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which were typical of all KVPT projects- as discussed
above at Uma Maheshvara and Radha Krishna Temple
projects.
The Department scolded KVPT but never pursued any
serious action except requesting removal of the concrete.
We apologetically explained that it was irreversible.
Meanwhile, the projects that followed were less risky,
and with those, we felt comfortable not pursuing more
ambitious - and controversial - measures. The Indrapur
survived the 2015 earthquakes intact. The importance
of the case study would remain unrecognized until present.
The 2011 earthquake:
Emergency seismic strengthening of the North Taleju
Temple at Patan Palace
As we review current responses, it is important to document
KVPT’s one critical intervention in response to
earthquake damage before the 2015 incidents. On September
18, 2011, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in
the state of Sikkim, India, near the border with Nepal.
Although the earthquake’s epicenter was around 300
kilometers away, this earthquake was felt in the Kathmandu
Valley, and caused damage to the Patan Royal
Palace Complex. The earthquake revealed weaknesses
within the structure between Mul Cok and Nasal
Cok (Cok, often transliterated as Chowk, refers to the
typical Newar courtyard structure), which had been
largely rebuilt after the 1934 earthquake. Major cracks
had opened up in the brick masonry walls of the upper
Gallery of the North wing of Mul Cok. One such large
crack had existed prior to the earthquake, at the Southwest
corner of the gallery, but the earthquake had caused
the crack to widen visibly. This particular crack, likely
caused by improper masonry wall joining techniques at
the corner, had broken the out-of-plane stiffness that
adjoining walls can provide. The Gallery functions as
the entry to the sanctum of the North Taleju temple.
Between the large crack breaking continuity around the
SW corner, additional cracks caused by the 2011 earthquake
within the gallery and the main masonry walls of
the North Taleju tower itself, visible redistribution of
loads within timber structural elements, and the precariously
loose condition of roof struts, this portion of the
Patan Royal Palace Complex required urgent attention.
(Additional details, including photos and drawings regarding
this project, can be found in the North Taleju
chapter of this report.)
Due to these conditions and their apparent urgency in
the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake, KVPT applied for
and received a grant from the Prince Claus Fund in the
Netherlands for emergency repairs and strengthening
measures on these structures.
German structural engineer Matthias Beckh, who had
consulted to KVPT on the Kathmandu Durbar Initiative
and other projects, was brought on to assess the
damage and provide a structural design for strengthening
measures. In addition to various typical strengthening
methods that had been implemented in previous
KVPT projects, major structural strengthening systems
were designed specifically for the North Taleju project.
1. In the gallery of the Mul Cok North Wing, the roof
trusses are widely spaced and not connected to one another.
This lack of lateral strength increases earthquake
risks and could lead to the collapse of the whole structure.
This was a greater concern because of the large crack on
the Southwest corner of the gallery; these discontinuities
made the tower extremely vulnerable to seismic action.
The new steel braces are joined to the original timber
trusses with steel plates and bolts. After the introduction
of these steel braces to create a horizontal truss, a
rigid diaphragm is created which limits movement in an
earthquake. The bracing that was implemented allows
for significant stiffening of the structure and is a successful
repair that helped the structure survive the 2015
earthquake, but additional work is required to further
strengthen the system by implementing the full truss at