9. Sept 2014

FROM THE SHELF
THE TRADITIONAL NEWAR ARCHITECTURE OF
THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
THE SIKHARAS
Author: Wolfgang Korn
Publisher: Ratna Books
Published Year: 2014
Language: English
"In The Traditional Newar Architecture of the Kathmandu
Valley: The Sikharas, Korn not only documents them
but also describes the different types of sikharas on
the basis of his own systematic and measured line
drawings including the historical development."
INTRODUCTION
In the past, most publications
dealing especially with Nepalese
building tradition have presented the
Hindu temples in the form of the so
called ‘pagodas’ and the Buddhist
sanctuaries, the stupas and chaityas
found in the Kathmandu Valley.
In contrast, the massive towers built
in brick or stone called sikharas are
mentioned comparatively seldom and
not comprehensively enough.
In 1975, the first recording of
historic monuments (i.e. temples,
monasteries and historic sites) was
published in the form of a catalogue.
Each monument was represented by
a photograph, a site plan and a short
description.
In 1976, my book, The Traditional
Architecture of the Kathmandu
Valley, was published, dealing with
buildings with slanting roofs such
as the multi-tiered temples, the
Buddhist monasteries, Hindu priest
houses, residential houses, palaces
and guest houses. It did not mention
- Professor Nirmal Man Tuladhar
the Buddhist stupas, chaityas and the
sikharas.
In 2003, my study on Licchavi Chaityas
in Kathmandu Tal was released in
German. The book about the Buddhist
stupas has yet to be translated into
English and published.
With this publication of the sikhara
temples, the trilogy of my studies
completes. As in my first book, the
different types of sikhara temples are
represented by technical drawings
only.
In 2011, the most comprehensive,
three-volumned work of Niels
Gutschow, Architecture of the Newars,
appeared in the market. Its immense
value is not only in the many, most
detailed drawings ever prepared in
Nepal and the photos of all aspects
of the Newari building history and
building types, but also in the volume
of information concerning the building
history.
At the outset I have talked about
the ‘Nepalese’ building tradition as
it appears in most publications and
studies. It would have been more
correct to call it ‘Newar’ as it was the
Newars who created this culture. The
Newars are the ethnic inhabitants
of the Kathmandu Valley and the
neighbouring valleys of Banepa and
Panauti. They were the dominant
power in a long stretch of the now
Nepalese Himalaya, ruling from the
Kathmandu Valley which was earlier
called Nepal Valley.
EMERGENCE OF THE SIKHARAS IN
THE KATHMANDU VALLEY
As already mentioned, the Indian
sikhara temple has been built in
stone and brick since about the 6th
century. Not much is known about the
appearance of this temple type in the
Kathmandu Valley. Slusser (1982: 186)
writes:
The existing evidence for Licchavi
stone architecture, perhaps
of the kind that prevailed in
contemporary northern India, is
extremely fragmentary. But in
association with the standing Late
Licchavi or Transitional Period half
ruined sikhara temple in Pasupati
compound, and the ubiquitousnes
of sikharas in Malla architecture
from at least the 15th century, it
does lead us to believe that stone
and brick sikhara-style temples
were also known during Licchavi
Nepal.
‘On stylistic evidence, it can belong to
the late Licchavi or early transitional
period’ (Slusser 1982: 147). Gutschow
(2011: 515) gives an even earlier date
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