1. Jan-Feb 2011

HERITAGE
The royal thrones used for coronation of Shah Kings,
displayed at the Hanumandhokha Palace Museum
continued construction in traditional Nepali style. Pratap Singh
extended Pritivi Narayan Shah's Basantapur and Vilas Mandir into
a large Chowk and Rana Bahadur Shah established the image of
Swet Bhairav and the huge Bell in the complex. During the reign of
Rana Bahadur, the temple of Shiv Parvati, with the wooden images
of the two deities looking out the window, was commissioned by
Bahadur Shah.
Foreign Influence:
In the southern wing of Mohan Chowk, established by Pratap Malla
in B.S. 1705, is a room where an inscription, also by Pratap Malla,
exemplifies the stone imagery of Nepali artisans. An interesting
observation in the inscription is the fact that although the upper
parts of the inscription portray images of Vishnu's ten incarnations
and the life of Lord Krishna, the lower part of the inscription depicts
images that could be of daily life. In these images a lady in western
appearance is casted repeatedly and in multiple facets of life. In
some images she is playing musical instruments, in some she
is smoking, or weighing fruits. A male figure in royal Malla attire
is also present in some of the images, and another male figure in
western attire is found in the final image.
It is not clear what exactly these images portray, but the subject of
the art as well as its style, which has a slight influence of western
character, hints to the possibility of foreign correspondence in the
court of King Pratap Malla.
Yet the authenticity of Nepali architecture has been maintained
throughout the Malla reign, with no external influence in the
development of their architecture. It was not until the Rana
Regime, that European influence is prominently seen in the
architectural characters of Nepali Palaces. The most interesting
hybrid can perhaps be seen at the Hanumandhokha Palace where
many of the later built monuments were constructed with the
attempt of presenting popular European styles.
One of the first buildings in a semi-European style was built in
1881 B.S. during the reign of Rajendra Bikram Shah. The renovation
of Bhandarkhal, Mul Chowk, Sundar Chowk and Mohan Chowk was
also carried out during the same time. The building called 'Sish
Mahal', literally meaning Mirror Palace, was built using specially
imported mirrors. The building was built at the 'Kot' and was the
site of the infamous 'Kot-Parva' that started the Rana Reign in
Nepal. The Sish Mahal is now nonexistent.
The European style gained popularity once Jung Bahadur Rana
and the other Rana Prime Ministers started visiting Europe. During
the reign of Surendra Bikram Shah, Prime Minister Jung Bahadur
Rana commissioned the northern wing of Dakh Chowk, the
northern wing and eventually all the wings of Dakh Chowk were
built with European influence. In B.S. 1965, during the reign of
Pritivi Bikram Shah, Chandra Sumsher commissioned the Gaddhi
Baithak to be built in a Neo-Classical style.
Unlike the Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares, the
Hanumandhokha palace remained the residence of royalty even
after the capture by Prithivi Narayan Shah in B.S. 1825 and hence
the development of the complex continued even further, including
not just traditional Newari art and architecture but also prominent
European influence.
The palace complex has been built, destroyed and rebuilt
through centuries to get to its present situation. It is said
that in its grandest form, approximately 150 years ago, the
Hanumandhokha Palace Complex had 35 Chowks, now only 12 of
them remain. Although many rulers and other politically powerful
personalities have contributed to the form of the complex, the
most influential personalities to be recognized in its development
are perhaps the Malla kings, Mahendra Malla and Pratap Malla
and the Shah King Prithivi Narayan Shah. The credit of maximum
destruction to the old grandeur of the palace should perhaps be
given to the massive earthquake of B.S. 1990, after which many
of the buildings were destroyed and much of the palace area was
lost. The present New Road and Bhugol Park etc., which were once
a part of the palace, are now replaced by the urban wilderness.
Many chowks and buildings recorded from the Malla times
like Chaukwatha, Bhutali Chowk, Dugucha Chowk, Tau Chowk,
Vaidyakhana Chowk etc. have been lost in time.
Reference: Hanumandhokha Rajdurbar, Gautam Bajra Bajracharya, CNAS,
T.U., B.S. 2033, Jestha
Credit: Interview with Mr. Shyam S. Rajbanshi, Museum Chief,
Hanumandhokha Palace Museum
January-February 2011
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