Past And Present Nepal -Part 2

In the post Past And Present Nepal -Part 2, famous heritage site of Nepal far year ago and now are presented. Nearly about 100 year old. Namely Dharahara, Ram Chandra Temples, Hari Bhawan, Sahid Gate, Singha Durbar, Basantapur Durbar Complex, etc. Okay picture speaks more itself, so no more boring word... :) And readers are recommended to read the caption to know about each images.

Location map of various places exposed in this post Past And Present Nepal -Part 2

The pre-earthquake Dharahara as seen from Tudikhel

The old Dharahara, the Ram Chandra temples and a wing of Bag Durbar from the south-west, in the 1920s. Bag Durbar, the Garden Palace, was constructed in 1805 for General Bhimsen Thapa, who kept a cage with living tigers at its entrance. Thus the palace was also called the Tiger Palace. It was severely damaged by earthquake, and in 1940 a new palace, Hari Bhawan, was erected in its place.

After the earthquake in January 1934 Kathmandu was enveloped in clouds of dust. When the dust finally ettled, the Dharahara was seen to have survived in a truncated state.

Beautiful view of Dharahara, around 2010

The Dharahara in 1956. The whitewashing work on it is in its final stages. The area around the tower is still uncluttered by later constructions. The few houses surrounding it are low and in the traditional style.

Bottom-Up view of Dharahara, around 2013

The northern view of central Kathmandu and the Tundikhel from a top Dharahara in the late 1920s. The core of Kathmandu consisted of a mass of brick and roof-tiled structures. Bahadur Bhawan, Seto Durbar and the Clock Tower are in background.

View of Tudhikhel from Dharahara, around 2013

 The Tundikhel has been increasingly encroached upon by new constructions around and in it. It is not only the expansion of the town which defines the change, but also the construction materials. These latter give Kathmandu a different skyline today.

Looking far out to the east from atop the Dharahara. The patch of green in a fenced-off circle in the foreground contains the equestrain statue of Jung bahadur Rana. Further down the road is the temple of Bhadrakali, and beyond it the massive construction of Singha Durbar.

Buy 1992 the statue of Jung Bahadur Rana had long been shifted to suit the flow of traffic. The structure between the crossing and the Bhadrakali temple is Sahid or Martyr's Memorial. It was erected in the mid 1960s under King Mahendra to commemorate the four members of the Nepal Praja Parishad, Nepal's first political party, who were executed in january 1941.

Bag durbar as seen from atop the Dharahara in 1920s. The complex to the south of the palace is the Central Prison. A sizeable portion of the Valley's food supply was grouwn on the very fertile land along the Bagmati.

Snap taken during sunset along with Dharahara from Tudikhel, around 2010

By 1992 all the open fields along the Bagmati had been eaten up completely by a medley of buildings. Hari Bhawan, to the left, was the residence of Hari Shumshere, a son of Prime Minister Juddha Shumshere Rana. It now houses the Ministry of Finance.

A western view of kathmandu from atop the Dharahara before 1934. Svayambhunath is in background. The buildings of Basantpur Durbar and the Taleju temple, to the right, towered over all the other structures in town.

Today Kathmandu has become transformed almost beond recognition. Yhe old structures still stand out, but not so much because of their height but because of their age and desigh.