HISTORY OF NEPALESE ARCHITECTURE Course Coverage: Chronological stu !

o" i""erent stages o" evelo#$ent: Pre%historic Perio - &o#alas an 'ahis#alas - (iratas Historic Perio - Lichchavis )th *+st ,- ./th centur! - Tha0uris *1ar0 Perio - /th .+2th centur! - 'allas +2%+3th centur! - Shahs an Ranas +3th centur! . +/)4 - 'o ern % a"ter +/)4 Stu ! o" secular an religious 5uil ings6 5oth Hin u an 7u hist6 8hich 8ill inclu e: - house "or$s6 5ahals6 5ahils6 rest houses6 te$#les6 stu#as6 #riest houses6 #alaces etc9 - Planning an hierarch! o" ur5an s#aces o" 'alla to8ns - Hin u%7u hist har$on! an its e""ect on architecture - S!$5olis$ in Ne#alese architecture - Construction techni:ues an $aterials - 1evelo#$ent in other regions o" Ne#al Assign$ents: - 1ra8ings o" i""erent i$#ortant structures - I enti"ication o" ele$ents o" heritage signi"icance along s#eci"ic routes o" the historic cities &lor! o" #ast architecture . ; <orl Heritage sites locate in =alle! A vantage o" actuall! o5serving an "eeling the a$5ience o" architectural heritage 7oun aries o" ancient Ne#al . contiguous ri ges an valle!s . east 7ane#a6 Palancho0 to Sun (osi an 5e!on > north to Nu8a0ot> 8est &or0ha *Lichchavi inscri#tion-6 south . Lele an Tistung> control o" outer regions no$inal9 1evelo#$ents outsi e =alle! not signi"icant so "ocus on =alle!6 $ainl! on 'alla #erio 9 Re"erence 7oo0s: Slusser6 'ar! She#her > Ne#al 'an ala6 Princeton Universit! Press6 +/329 1r9 Ti8ari6 Su arshan Ra?> The Ancient Settle$ents o" the (ath$an u =alle!6 CNAS6 244+9 (orn6 <ol"gang> The Tra itional Architecture o" the (ath$an u =alle!6 7i5liotheca Hi$ala!ica6 +/;@9 Other re"erences: 1r9 Ti8ari6 Su arshan Ra?> Tiere Te$#les o" Ne#al6 +/3/9 1r9 Ti8ari6 Su arshan Ra?> The 7ric0 an the 7ull6 Hi$al 7oo0s6 24429 7ernier6 Ronal '96 The Ne#alese Pago a Hutt6 'ichael6 Ne#al: A &ui e to Art an Architecture o" the (ath$an u =alle! &TA6 I$ages o" a Centur! Loc0e6 Bohn (96 7u hist 'onasteries o" Ne#al 69 Saha!ogi Press6 +/3)9

Lecture +

EARLY REFERENCES TO NEPAL

The earliest e#igra#hic recor s o" Ne#al are the #illars erecte at Lu$5ini an Nigali Sagar in 2); 7C 5! the 'aur!an e$#eror Asho0a *2@/%2C2 7C-9 The Lu$5ini #illar inscri#tions recor that Asho0a ca$e to #ra! at the s#ot 5ecause Lor 7u ha 8as 5orn there9 The inscri#tion on the other #illar at Nigali Sagar re"ers to the re#air an eD#ansion in siEe o" the stu#a o" a #revious 7u ha calle (ona0a$a in 2)F 7C an his #ersonal visit an o""ering o" reverence in 2F/ 7C9 Legen ar! accounts o" Asho0aGs visit to Ne#al are not su5stantiate 5! In ian or Sri Lan0an recor s9 The "ive HAsho0a Stu#asI o" Patan have 5een cre ite to Asho0a6 "our lie at the car inal corners o" the cit! 8hile one is situate in the centre6 ho8ever6 Slusser conten s stu#as $a! 5e "unerar! $oun s o" #re%7u hist origin an $a! #re ate the 'aur!an #erio *Slusser6 +/32- Neils &utscho8 an Ti8ari6 ho8ever6 o not acce#t this an 5elieve the! are no ol er than +@ th centur! *Ti8ari6 244+-9 The "our chait!as associate 8ith Asho0a are clai$e 5! other 7u hist legen s to 5e Chilancho Chait!a o" (irti#ur6 S8a!a$5hu Chait!a6 Cha5ahil Chait!a o" 1ev#atan an the Patu0o $oun o" Patan *Ti8ari6 244+-9 Svayambhu Purana account o" Asho0aGs aughter Charu$ati $arr!ing a local #rince 1eva#ala an esta5lishing 1eo#atan an a vihar o" her na$e is also not su5stantiate 5! In ian an Sri Lan0an recor s9 *Slusser6 +/32The e#igra#hic recor o" the valle! is #ushe 5ac0 signi"icantl! 5! the iscover! in +//2 o" a stone scul#ture o" (ing Ba!a =ar$a ate +3) A1 *Slusser6 +/32-9 Ancient 7rah$i scri#t states he is the Fth 0ing 8ho ie in the !ear +4; Sa0a Sa$vat6 8hich coinci es 8ith Ba!a ev II recor on the stele at Pashu#ati an the account o" Gopalarajavamsavalis9 7e"ore the Ba!a =ar$a inscri#tion6 the earliest ate ocu$ent o" the valle! 8as the stone inscri#tion at Changu Nara!an erecte 5! 'an eva in F@F A19 7u hist chronicles re"er to $on0s at Sravasti6 an i$#ortant tra ing centre *Set 'ahet village 5! the Ra#ti river- 8ho ?oine a grou# o" 8ool $erchants 5oun "or Ne#al 5ut 8ho ha to return 5ecause o" the i""icult #assage9 This clearl! in icate tra ing eDiste 5et8een In ia an (ath$an u =alle! uring )%@th centur! 7C9 *Slusser6 +/32- (ath$an u 8as connecte to the Uttara#atha6 the great northern In ian tra e route 8hich #asse through the Sa0!a ca#ital o" (a#ilavastu an eDiste at least "ro$ the @ th centur! 7C an connecte the eastern &angetic 5asin 8ith the civiliEation o" the Near East9 The Uttara#atha 8as connecte to another great tra e route6 the 1a0shina#atha 8hich 8as connecte to the 7u hist co$$unities o" Sanchi an U??ain9 In earl! ;th centur! A1 the Ti5etan nation 8as esta5lishe 8hich 5rought tran:uilit! to the surroun ing territor!9 Fro$ then on Ne#al 5eca$e the #re"erre tra e route 5et8een Ti5et an In ia9 Till the late +3 th centur!6 tra e 8as the #ri$ar! source o" the =alle!Gs 8ealth an its $ain raison Getre9 *Slusser6 +/32'aur!an states$an (autil!a *2FF 7C- re"erre to 8oolen 5lan0ets "ro$ Ne#al in Arthasastra *Slusser6 +/32-9 Italian eDcavations in Ha igaon unearthe 5uilt cultural re$ains ating 5ac0 to +)4 7C * Ti8ari6 244+-9 Since the ti$ing is relativel! close to the ti$e o" (autil!a6 conclusions can 5e ra8n that settle$ent o" istinct ur5an #attern eDiste to acco$$o ate such heightene econo$ic activities9 The histor! o" settle$ents in the valle! can thus 5e #ushe 5ac0 $ore than @44 !ears "ro$ esta5lishe ate o" historical 5eginning9 *Ti8ari6 244+Hsuan%tsang6 Chinese #ilgri$ to In ia in $i ;th centur! hear in =aisali a5out re co##er6 !a06 'ing$ing 5ir an use o" co##er coins in Ne#al9 <ang Hsuan%tse6 Chinese envo! on his 8a! "ro$ the TGang court to $eet Harshavar hana at (anau?6 visite (ath$an u valle! in the $i ; th centur! uring the reign o" Naren ra eva an note that H$erchants6 "iDe an itinerant6 8ere nu$erous an cultivators rareI9 *Slusser6 +/32The FTH centur! A1 #illar inscri#tion o" Sa$u ragu#ta at Allaha5a lists HNe#alaI as a "rontier state9 TGang !nast!6 conte$#oraries o" Lichchavis6 re"erre to Ne#al as Ni%#o%lo9