Temple Architecture

Newar Pagoda Temples

The distinctive newar pagoda temples are major features of Kathmandu valley skyline. While strictly speaking they are neither wholly newar nor pagodas, the term has been widely adopted to describe the tempels of the valley.

The temples are ge

nerally squares in design, and may be either hindu or Buddhist. On rare occasion temples are rectangular or octagonal. This depends upon the god being worshipped; Krishna, for example, can occupy octagonal temples, whereas ganesh, shiva and bishnu can only inhabits square temples.

The major feature of the temple is tiered roof, which may have one or five tiers, with two or three being the most common. In the Kathmandu valley there are two temples with four roofs and another two with five. The sloping roofs are usually covered with distinctive baked clay tiles, although richer temples will often have one roof of glided cover. The pinnacle of temple is usually bell-shaped and made of baked clay or glided copper.

The temples are usually built on stepped plinth, which may be as high as, or even higher than, the temple itself. In some cases the numbers of the steps on the plinth corresponds with the number of roofs on the temple.

The temple building itself has just a small scantum literally known as womb house housing the deity. Worshippers practice individually, with devotees standing outside the door to make their supplications. The only people permitted to actually enter the scantum are temple priest.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the temple is the detailed decoration, which is only evident close up. Under each roof there are often brass or metal decorations, such as rows of small bells or embossed metal banners. The metal steamer that hangs from above the uppermost roof to below the level of lowest roof is called pataka. Its function is to give the deity a means of descending to earth.

The other major decorative elements are wooden struts that support the roofs. The intricate carvings are usually of deities associated with the temple deity or of the deity’s vehicle but quite a few depict explicit sexual acts.

Stupas

The Buddhist stupas of the Kathmandu valley-particularly the stupas of Swayambunath and Boudanath- are among the most impressive and most visited monuments in Nepal. the earliest stupas in India were merely domed burial mounds, but they have evolved over the centuries to become complex structures that represent the Buddha and Buddhist philosophy.

The lowest level of the stupa is the plinth, which may be simply the square platform, but may also be terraced as Boudhanath. On top of the plinth is the hemispherical dome which is usually white washed each year.

Atop the dome is a spire, which always consists of a number of elements. Immediately on the top of the dome is the harmika, a square base usually painted on each side with a pair of eyes, which most people believe represents the all-selling nature of the Buddha. There is a third eye between and above the two normal eyes and the noseis not the nose at all but the Nepali number one, which signifies the unity of all life.

Topping the harmika is the tapering section of 13 stages, which are said to represent the 13 stages of perfection. At the very peak is the gilt parasol, symbolizing royalty.

The five elements are represented in the stupa;s structure; the base symbolizes earth; the dome water; the spire fire; the umbrella air; and the pinnacle ether.

Shikara Temples

The second-most common temples are the shikara temples, which have a heavy Indian influence. The temples are so named because their tapering tower resembles a shikara (mountain peaks). Although the style developed in India in the 16th century, it first appeared in nepal in the late lichhavi period. (9th century).

The main feature is the tapering, pyramidal tower, which often surrounded by four similar but smaller towers, and these may be located on porches over the shrine’s entrance. The tower is usually built on a square stepped plinth.

Occasionally the shikara temple follows the same basic design but os more elaborate, with porches and small turrets seemingly all over the place. The Krishna temple and the octagonal Krishna temple, both in patan’s durbar square, are excellent examples.

ARTS

Wander around the Kathmandu valley and you will appreciate Nepal’s wonderful connection between arts and architecture. It often feels as though you are in the vibrant open-air museum where fine woodcarving and sculptures can be found in surprisingly accessible places. by simply casting your eyes upward at a temple you will see a series of centuries old roofs struts carved with intricate figures. Crafts also reflect the Nepali melting pot where religious art has Tantric; Hindu and Buddhist overtones and the dividing line between the religions is blurred.

Architecture and Sculpture

The oldest architecture in the Kathmandu valley has faded with history. Grassy mounds are all thet remain of patan’s four Ashoka stupas and the magnificent stupas of Swayambunath and Biudanath have undoubtly changed many times over the centuries. Magnificient stonework is one of the lasting remindeers of th lichhavi period (4th to 9th centuries AD). Many of the valley’s temple have beautiful lichhavi stone pieces in their courtyards; the temple of changunarayan in the east is the particularly good example, as is the statue of Vishnu asleep on a bed of serpents at Budanilkantha.

Unfortunately, no wooden buildings and carvings are known to have survived from these early days. The vally’s earliest wood cravings dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. These craft flourish during the Malla period aand fine examples are the roof struts of two buildings in Kathmandu’s Durbar square-the great Bashantapur tower in Hanuman Dhoka (the old royal palace) and the kastamandap buildings. To see one of the oldest and finest survivors of this period you should visit the Indreshwar Mahadev temple in Panauti, near banepa.

The artistic skills of the valley’s Newar people flourished under the Mallas. Their skills axtended far beyond the wood work for which they are also known and include fine metalwork, terracotta, brick-work and stone sculpture. The finest metalwork includes the stunning images of the two Tara Godess at Swyambhunath, and the river godess Ganga and Jamuna in patan’s Mul chowk.

The Nepali architect Arniko visited Tibet in the late 13th century and showed off the multiroofed Nepali pagoda design that became popular in china and eastern Asia. Contact with Tibet also influenced Nepali artist, who vivid Tibetan color and fantastic Tibetan creatures appearing in their art and architecture.

The end of Malla period saw temples appearing all over the Kathmandu valley. Squabbling and competition between the city-states of Kathmandu, patan, and Bhaktapur fuelled the building boom; each tried to outdo the other with magnificent palaces and temples. The multiroofed Nepali pagoda remained the style of the day, although there was strong influence, as seen in the Krishna mandir of patan’s durbar square, the spires of maha bouda bad the two temples at the top of the stairway to swyambunath.

The great Nepali architecture came to a dramatic end when Prithivi narayan shah invaded the valley in 1769. The magnificent wood-craved temple and palaces that remain are mostly from before unification, but traditional building skills are still evidenced in extensive restoration projects such as the Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu and the Tachupal tole buildings in Bhaktapur, which were complete in the 1970s. today some young architects are attempting to incorporate traditional features into their buildings.