Temple architecture in Nepal

The building art of Nepal displays many original features. These Nepal structures provide a number of provocative factors relating to the evolution of the building art in Asia as a whole.

Brown makes a very vivid observation:

“In the sphere of architecture Nepal illustrates, with marked significance, the impact of two of the most forceful civilizations in the East, that of India on the one hand, and of China on the other, the two meeting within the region of Nepal’s mountainous borders. For geographically, historically and politically, the country occupies a position between these two great empires, and during its course has drunk deeply from the cultural spring? issuing from each, drawing its inspiration first from one and then from the other, alternatively, as the political currents ebbed or flowed. The influence of these powerful streams of racial ideals is envisaged clearly in the building art of Nepal, while in addition there is the effect, religious and graphic, of that great tide of Buddhism which swept through the continent of Asia before and after the beginning of the Christian era, inspiriting every people and every activity in its progress.”

The main tenor of life in Nepal is almost entirely concentrated in a localised area known as Nepal Valley within which are closely grouped the three capitals of the kingdom, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhatgaon. The inhabitants of the country, originally immigrants from Tibet, are known as Newars. Their production in the field of Architecture as the capitals of Nepal amply testify, that they possessed an artistic sensibility of a particular exuberant nature. This indigenous aesthetic tendency was stimulated and influenced at intervals by currents from sources exterior to the country. Further the early under-currents of Buddhism are corroborated by the pilgrimage of Aśoka himself who founded innumerable stūpas commemorating this event.

The two of these stūpas have been identified as Svayambhū Nātha and Boddha Nātha. Brown’s description conveys their architecture very well—see Indian Architecture page 196.

This is about of the early architecture of Nepal. Now of the subsequent onslaughts in domain of art, the Eastern School of Bengal and Bihar dominated it which produced secular buildings, the palaces etc. needless to be viewed here in the context of temple architecture.

This Mulla regime, when the three capitals rose with all their characteristic shapes is characterized by more civic architecture than the religious or temple architecture. The town-planning, the palace architecture, the Durbar squares etc, played the prominent role in the subsequent character of architecture. In the words of Brown, regarded as a whole the structures of Nepal, notably those of a sectarian ascription fall into two categories, those of ‘śikhara’ variety clearly derived from the style of the temple favoured in India and those of the multiple roof design associated with the pagodas of China, the former being mainly constructed of masonry while the latter are largely composed of wood. The Nepali temples, whether of the Śikhara or pagoda kind were not designed for cogregational [congregational?] worship, but were really shrines enclosing a cella or chamber for the divinity or symbol and therefore were objects of devotion in themselves.

The secular or civil architecture may be left out here for its details do not come in our purview. But a reference may be made to an interesting architectural feature of the civic art which is of striking originality.

It is the monumental pillars as these exist in considerable number in Durbar Squares.

“The free-standing pillar of the Newars is a monolithic erection, moulded and ornamented with patterns of historical derivation and crowned with a capital of lotus petals, expanded so as to form a circular basis for the metal superstructure. Apart from groups of divinities, mystic symbols, and other emblems, the most ideal use of these pillars was for the display of portrait statuary, so that several of the most illustrious rulers of the Mulla dynasty arc commemorated in this elevated and dignified manner. Of these one of the finest that of Bhupatindra (cir. 1750) is therefore a relatively recent production”.

Similarly the Lion Throne and Door of Gold represent the consummation of the Nepalese artificers’ handicrafts, a work of art of the most splendid order.