TU, IOE

CHITWAN ENGINEERING CAMPUS

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
RAMPUR, CHITWAN

REPORT ON NYATAPOLA TEMPLE

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE II

SUBMITTED BY, SUBMITTED TO,

MEENA BARUWAL AR. SURAJ SAHI
ROLL NO.-CHIO77BAR11
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION 2
TAUMADHI SQUARE 2
2. HISTORY 2
3. PHYSICAL STRUCTURE 3
4. SOCIAL ,CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS 4
5. MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY 5
5.1. MATERIALS 5
5.2. CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY 6
6. SURROUNDINGS 8
7. CONCLUSION 11
8. REFERENCE 11

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1. INTRODUCTION
Nyatapola temple is a typical example of Nepali temple architecture built in 1702 A.D by the
contemporary king of Bhaktapur King Bhupatindra Malla. This early eighteenth century tiered temple is
situated at the Taumadhi square, south east of Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The temple is dedicated to
Goddess Siddhi Laxmi which represents prosperity and good fortune and also represents the goddess of
war. This temple was built to control the Bhairav, a manifestation of Lord Shiva or a deity that guards
his home. It is the tallest tiered temple built in Pagoda style, which stands on five huge plinths with 5
storied roof and a gold polished brass pinnacle at the top. There is only one 5 tiered temple beside
Nyatapola. It is one of only two five tiered pagodas in the whole of Kathmandu valley, the other being
Kumbeshwar Temple in Lalitpur. Moreover, this temple was constructed on a seismic template. While
describing Nyatapola in "Nepal," Bernier writes, "Its five roofs appear so stable in their rise to the vast
height of the pinnacle that one expects them to last forever. In fact, the 1934 earthquake that destroyed
so many temples only caused the uppermost roof of Nyatapola to collapse" (Bernier, p. 103). The temple
withstood the severe earthquake in April 2015, proving Bernier's claims to be accurate, although
improvements that would last until 2020 were required to guarantee the long-term stability of the
building.

TAUMADHI SQUARE
Taumadhi Square is a wide open space which is linked by a short pathway to the eastern end of
Bhaktapur Durbar Square. The square represents the function of the ancient halves of Bhaktapur. In
Robert Levy's words the square is "A neutral ritual center that affirms the unity of the town". This
function becomes most plainly apparent during the festival of Bisket, locally called as "Biska Jatra".
When the people of the upper town compete with the lower to drag a towering ritual chariot containing
an image of Bhairab out of the square into the streets of their own sector of Bhaktapur. Taumadi is
dominated by two temples of unusual grandeur. One is a three storeyed rectangular temple on east side
is Bhairabnath-originally built by Jagatjyotir Malla as a single storeyed structure in 1717 BS.
Bhupatindra then restored the temple adding two further tiers. After it collapsed in the 1934 AD
earthquake it was reconstructed by the local people. Bhairab is the ferocious manifestation of Lord
Shiva. The next is Nyatapola-the tallest tiered temple of Nepal. Dating back to 1702 AD, it is the most
elegant asset of Nepal. The struts, doors, windows, tympanums, attractively carved divine figures have
perfectly portrayed the creative tradition of Newar craftsmen and medieval art and architecture. The
next fabulous example of art and architecture is Tilmadhav Narayan Chowk, situated just in front of
Nyatapola and dedicated to Tilmadhav Narayan. A few steps ahead of it, to the south west lies the
famous pottery square, and a few steps ahead to upper town Dattatreya Square.

2. HISTORY
The origins of the temple date to the reign of the prolific builder, King Bhupatindra Malla (1696-1722).
At the dawn of the 18th century, the Taumadhi square was already bordered by the rectangular

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Bhairavnath temple to the southeast, enshrining Akash Bhairab, the god of terror and infinite space.
Oral traditions credit that the king grew concerned by the reports that Akash Bhairab was angry,
causing all manner of troubles. He- or His advisors- felt that the construction of a temple dedicated to a
female deity would counterbalance the heavy male presence of Bhairab. Hence , the King ordered a
grand temple devoted to a tantric goddess, either Tsleju or Siddhi Lakshmi.
The foundation of such a large temple had to be especially strong; hence, the five- tiered, pyramid -like
base acts as a firm anchor for the towering structure. Engineering solutions alone were only part of the
strategy for ensuring the tower;’s long-term survival; the King also relied on supernatural assistance.
His artisans fashioned a grand south-facing stairway flanked with five pairs of animals and gods.
Legend asserts that the power of each set of statues increases by a factor of 10 with each tier. Hence, the
topmost deities (usually identified as Simhini and Vagnini—normally, minor deities) are said to be
10,000 times stronger than the lowermost pair, the likenesses of Jai Mal and Patta, two of Bhaktapur's
most famous wrestlers. The implication is that the innermost deity—the female entity enshrined within,
whoever she may be—is ten times more powerful still. Here strength is sufficient to ensure Akash
Bhairab's peace and the city's tranquility.
Bhupatindra Malla's efforts ostensibly succeeded, but apparently, it was not the end of the matter for
the young King, who continued his policy of appeasing Bhairab. Years later, in 1715, he ordered further
renovations of the Bhairavnath temple, adding a second story (and possibly a third), making it more
equal to the Nyatapola to the north.
Except for accounts of slight damage to the original construction after the 1934 earthquake, the
Nyatapola's following history is not well documented (as far as this author is aware). The temple was
still standing after the third (and final) significant earthquake in April 2015, however its uppermost
levels received structural damage. The Bhaktapur municipality declined offers of assistance from
outside. Instead, it used local resources and experts to carry out the repairs, finishing them by the
middle of 2020 despite the coronavirus lockdown.

3. PHYSICAL STRUCTURE
If we go through the name "Nyatapola", it itself describes its physical structure. In the local Newari
language "nyata" means five-storeyed and "pola" means tiers. So from the name itself it is clear that
Nyatapola is a five storeyed temple with the roof of tiers. The base of the Nyatapola temple is a
rectangular terraced platform of stones and has five stages or folds with a steep stone-paved stairway.
On each stage, there is a pair of statues of different kinds on either side of the stairway. On the bottom
stage, there are statues of two wrestlers of Bhaktapur named Jaimal and Patta, who were believed to be
10 times stronger than the ordinary citizens, followed by elephants ,lions, griffins and two other deities -
Singhini and Baghini . They are believed to be door-keepers in charge of paved stairways which do not
allow the evil power to enter into the temple. Amusing and interesting at the same time is that the
statues are kept in such a way that its strength is 10 times more than that of the previous pair. At the top
fold is a square chamber enclosed by a colonnade of wooden poles and pillars which sustain the lowest
and the heaviest roof. Inside which the statue of goddess Siddhilaxmi Bhavani, the superior and most
powerful tantric goddess, is erected. The square chamber has gates on all four sides. But the main gate
is facing south. Above the main gate, there are beautiful torans which are engraved with the image of
Mahish Mardini. The roofs of the temple are covered with special red tiles of similar shape and size.
Though clay tiles have low resistance to earthquakes it has high stability and very good resistance
against insects and rain. Wind bells(ghanti) made of brass are hanging on the rafter of each roof.There
are 48, 80, 104, 128 and 168 bells in the fifth,fourth,third, second and first roof respectively. Besides
that, the floor of each of these storeys is a square entablature of brick which goes on diminishing in size
and area until the structure reaches fifth or the uppermost roof with a gold final atop. Each of the roofs

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is sustained by struts projecting at an angle of 45 degrees from the entablature which rests for support
on the pillars of the lower storey. The structure is decorated by the graceful carvings and vigorous
sculpture which are characteristics of Nepalese architecture and they are 108 in numbers. Besides these
four Ganeshes known as Drighu Ganesh is located in all four corners of the temple. But the statue of the
north east corner temple has been stolen. These Ganeshes have been established for the protection of
the Goddess and the temple. Nyatapola, the temple of terrible as many people call it, is an outstanding
illustration of medieval art and architecture. And it speaks for how rich we were in the medieval period
in the sector of art and architecture.. Due to the above reasons, Nyatapola temple was listed as one of
the world heritage sites in the year 1979 A.D. (2035 B.S).

4. SOCIAL ,CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS

In Hindu community, temples and God and Goddesses placed have great influence on social, cultural
and religious aspects. Nyatapola too from its time of establishment have strong religious, social and
cultural values. According to tales and old traditions, the contemporary king Bhupatindra Malla gave
order to construct the temple to have control over the harsh and angry nature of Bhairab (representing
power and war) in a tantric way; he enshrined their tantrik Goddess Siddhi Laxmi. The Bhairab, whose
temple is just in front of the Nyatapola temple, is said to have come to Bhaktapur from Benaras.
Bhairab, along with Bhadrakali, is the principal personage of the festival Bisket Jatra of Bhaktapur
(celebrated on every new year day of Bikram Sambat). Moreover, some of Bhaktapur's inhabitants say
that just as Tripurasundari is in the center of Astamatrika, so is Bhairab (also known as Akash Bhairab)
is the Astabhairab. From another tale Bhairab caused many disasters at that time so to offset and to
have control over such a personage which compelled the contemporary king Bhupatindra Malla to take
advice from his advisor (mostly astrologers). According to their advice the king built a huge and tall
temple of tantrik Goddess Siddhi Laxmi. The sanctum level of Nyatapola is at the same height as that of
first Gajur of Bhairab temple which means Siddhilaxmi dominating Bhairab. From other beliefs it is also
said that the king constructed this temple so high that it can be viewed from his 55-window palace, as
the king had a keen interest in constructing temples with a high quality of craftsmanship. There is also
an interesting fact that the king himself carried the first three bricks along with other workers ,which
shows the good relation between king and the citizens. Not only that, it was also the desire of the king to
make the temple and the willingness of the people to get rid of the anger of Bhairab. This very fact
shows a social need with a religious background. On the auspicious moment of laying the foundation of
temple, one jyapu ( peasant) sowed grains of paddy in his field and later on when he tried to pull them
out he has to use a spade .This has a link with the stability of foundation as how much the earth was
compact there. It is remarkable that the temple didn't fall in the earthquake of 1934 A.D., except the
topmost roof had fallen. It was believed that the goddess wasn't allowed to be seen by ordinary people
an
d only Rajopadhya Brahamins had the right to enter into the temple and accomplish puja .This tradition
is being strictly followed even today. This restriction is made so that the tantrik power of the goddess is
not revealed to ordinary people. At present, a priest of Karmacharya caste does the daily "Nitya puja"
every morning and performs "Aarati" every evening. The main puja is done on two occasions. First on
Bhadra Shukla parewa tithi when a goat is sacrificed to goddess and a flag symbolizing good luck is
placed on its pinnacles. Next on Ashad Sudi 1 when Panchaprachar puja (Tha puja or Tantric puja) is
carried out. Unlike other temples, it doesn't have any Guthi , Jatras or Bhajans.

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5. MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
The temple was constructed and completed in 822NS Kartik Suddhi Tritiya, Thursday by king B. Malla.
The detailed records of expenditure and information on the involved personnel, list and price of
materials used for the construction has been preserved in the National Archives office, Babar Mahal.
The manuscript is written in the traditional Newari script on yellow Nepalese paper(Nepali Kagaj).

5.1. MATERIALS

The basic raw materials used in construction of Nyatapola are similar to that of other Nepalese temples.
They are wood, bricks, clay mortar (sometimes Surkhi), stone, metal (copper, brass), red oily paving
tiles (Telia Int) etc.

TIMBER: In the construction of Nyatapola temple, five different types of timbers are used. They are :
Chap (Michelia champaca)
Sal (Shorea robusta)
Salla (Pinus roxburghii)
Deodar (Cedrus deodara)
Gobre Salla (Pinus roxburghii)

STONE: Stones are mainly used in the construction of the guardians (five pairs of large guardians) of
the temple on the façade. Among the guardians, the first one Jaimal and Patta are made of monolithic
stones called 'Kothka'. These stones were brought from Chobhar. Stones are also used in the steps and
at the edges of the plinths. The circum-ambulatory columns also have a stone base. The 'Kalahari'
(Water drainage system) on the north (Mandala like) ritual spot on the north-east corner of the third
plinth are also made of stones. These stones are brought from the villages of East Nala, Sanepa, Panauti,
Sanga, Dhulikhel, Khadapu and Chaukwalh along with different Toles of Bhaktapur.
BRICKS: Different types of bricks are used in the construction of the temple, general bricks for the load
bearing wall, the Telia brick(wedge shaped brick having glazed surface) for the façade. These bricks
have mud mortar. From the manuscript , the total number of bricks used were 11,35,850 and Telia Int
used 1,02,364. The sizes of the bricks used in the plinth wall have the dimensions 8.5" X 4.5" X 2".
These bricks were brought from Thimi, Bode, Nagadesh.

METAL:Metals are mainly used in the construction of pinnacle and wind bells. For small bells:
METAL Approximate Weight(in Dharni)

Main(wax) 24

Kaas 17

Pittal(brass) 31

Iron 13.5

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 85.5
Total

For big bells:

In various forms 9 dharni of iron are used.For big bells:
In various forms 9 dharni of iron are used.

For pinnacle:
The total weight of pinnacle is 40 Dharni. Materials used for the construction are listed below:

Metal Approximate Weight(in Dharni)

Copper 148

Galeko 1
Pittal(Brass)

Kacho Pittal 2

Kaash 4(demanded)

Khaposat 3

Total 154

5.2. CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

The construction technology used for the Nyatapola temple is very much similar to the other tiered
temples of Nepal. From the history the whole construction on an average is done in a very small span of
time .

PLAN

The structural plan of high stepped plinths is still unknown. The foundation of the temple is unmanifest
.It has not been clear whether the Nyatapola temple stands on a huge masonary square field with soil or
upon a hillock of trodden soil which is circumscribed by stepped plinths of brickwork. The plan is
flexible to seismic effects. This seismic resist technology was used at that time of construction or the
structural engineers of today want to fit it in the flexible theory of seismic resist. In the 1934 A.D.
earthquake, only the uppermost roof of the temple fell whereas the Bhairab temple alongside had
collapsed wholly .This resistance to earthquake can be due to its square symmetrical plan,pyramidal
structure and very large foundation with high plinths which reduce liquefaction.

WALL

The massive load bearing wall of the temple comprises material of high compressive strength. These
walls are covered with another layer of bricks to increase its durability by protecting it against rain,

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vermin and abrasion and to improve the thermal and moisture performance of the wall and also to give
an aesthetic look to its appearance. The brick faces are trapezoid in shape and brick adjoins brick edge
on the outer face and the mortar is mostly within and so the mud mortar cannot be easily washed away.
The mortar consists of yellow clay with "Mass" and "Chaku". The fine lines between the edges of bricks
are often scaled with water proofing agents i.e. a mixture of oil(Tel), resin(Saldup) and red
earth(Sindhur).

ENTRANCE

The entrance has a massive double door. The door consists of an interior frame(Duchu) and exterior
frame(Bha) which are joined together by floor wooden ties(Tas) pinned together with wooden
nails(Chukus). There is a pediment(Torana) fixed to the upper frame for decoration. Carvings around
the door frame, window frame, and in the torana have carvings of tantrik Goddesses and goddesses
Siddhilaxmi. Torans are the quality of art and architecture of the medieval period. Since Goddess Siddhi
Laxmi is the Tantrik Goddess and ordinary people are restricted to enter the temple so as to represent
the images of Goddess their carvings are on this Torans.

BEAM

The temple has a tied beam (Lakansin).In these tied beams a total of 20 vertical wood columns stand
such that in each face we see 6 columns with 5 voids between them. The load of the lintel(Nina) is
transferred to these columns through a Meth(wooden bracket like capital). The meth is carved as an
arch. This column takes the load of the external part of the first roof only. It also gives some space
around the wall of the main core of the temple used as "Pradakshina Path"(cloister or
circum-ambulatory path) for the worshipers. Over the Meth the beam passes throughout the length of
the temple, a small portion of which extends outwards. This exposed surface has been carved with the
faces of lions one above the other. Above these beams there is a cornice whose one end has been
exposed to the external space and another end has been penetrated inside the load bearing wall(9" in
average). Above the cornice there rests struts(Tundal) which support the whole load of the roof and
transfer it to the load bearing wall. This load bearing wall of the second floor is smaller in comparison to
the wall above the surrounding of the main core. The upper part of the struts supports a long beam over
which rafters' extreme end rests. These rafters rest on two such types of beams. These rafters start from
the 2nd wall which are tied by the wedges(Chukul) which again rest on another wood plank penetrating
the wall.

ROOF

There are a total of 5 tiered roofs decreasing in dimension from bottom to the top. The first roof covers
the third plinth. This first overhanging roof is 49' 6" square in dimension. These roofs protect the wall
and wooden components from the external degrading agents. The upper part of 2nd, 3rd, 4th storey are
supported by a 2nd load bearing wall. The little upper portion of the 1st roof is exposed with bricks of 6
or 7 brick level. Also the 3rd shifted wall where the rafter stands and again the same with the 1st roof
structure. In the same way, the 4th roof has been placed. The uppermost roof is somewhat different. A
single ornamented brass pinnacle(195") lies on the center part of the roof. The 5th shifted wall is the last
load bearing wall on the top of the temple. The middle portion of the rafter rests on this 5th shifted wall.
All the rafters are concentrated at the center vertical column over which the pinnacle lies. These rafters
have been tied to the straight wood which is again tied to the lower end by the beams and passes
through the 5th shifted wall.

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6. SURROUNDINGS
Nyatapola lies in Taumadhi square-a wide open space .There is a big platform right in front of
Nyatapola known as Taranh Dabu (Big platform). Nyatapola is surrounded by many temples with
fabulous art and architecture and traditional houses which added more beauty to Nyatapola. Some of
the important places and surroundings are discussed below.

Bhairav Nath Temple

This temple is situated at south east front of Nyatapola with a path to Kwacha tole between them. It was
first built by Jagat Jyotir Malla as a single storeyed rectangular temple, later restored to three storeyed
temple with seven metal pinnacles by king Bhupatindra Malla. The main image placed inside the temple
is of Bhairab and is a body without the head. In the front wall of ground level of this temple there is a
small image of Bhairab known as Nasadyo flanked by a pair of metal statues of guardian lions. Akash
Bhairab is regarded as a third representation of Bhairab which can be seen painted on a straw mat hung
on the right front wall of first floor. The observer of the temple will never miss the kinkinimala hanging
metal border in the upper most roof, there are 56 struts each of which are carved with wooden images of
Goddesses which supports the three roofs of temple. The spaces between the struts are packed with
lattice screens and some of them on the lower tier are made of gilt copper. The famous Bisket Jatra of
Bhaktapur city is dedicated to Bhairabnath in which a chariot is dragged throughout the city. This jatra
is held on the new year day of Bikram Sambat. This temple is also a good example of medieval art and
architecture.

Narayan Chowk

It is an enclosed complex situated in front of Nyatapola. The main deity enshrined in the main temple is
Tilmadhav Narayan, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu. In front of the temple there are two stone pillars
with beautifully carved metal shankha and padma on the left one and gada and chakra on the right one.
On the right front of the temple there is a Shiva linga popular as Tileshwor Mahadev and on the right
side of the temple there is a stone pillar carved with Baraha Avatar of Narayan. And the pillar stands on
a stone tortoise statue. Behind this pillar there is a square shaped platform with Shiva Linga on it and a
statue of Saraswati(the Goddess of Knowledge) on its side wall. Near the temple there is a well made for
public use. The temple is surrounded by the old traditional residential houses and in this many religious
ceremonies take place such as Bhajans, Bel-Bibaha etc.

Traditional houses around Nyatapola

On the beauty of traditional houses, houses around Nyatapola seem to be successful in keeping the
artistic traditional and cultural taste of Bhaktapur on their own. Since Bhaktapur is dominated by
Newars we can obviously get the different taste of Newari art and architecture around Nyatapola
Temple too. These houses have fulfilled every aspect of a typical Newari house as low height, lattice
windows, attic roof, beautifully carved pillars and windows etc. The main construction materials used
are timber, mud mortar, burnt bricks etc. The existence of these traditional houses till today after
hundreds of years explains its resistivity against natural disasters, climatic conditions, storms, rain and
earthquakes.

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Fig.1: Plan of Nyatapola temple Fig.2: The 18th century construction map

Fig.3: Nyatapola Temple Bhaktapur in 1959 Fig.4: Nyatapola

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 Fig.5: A closer look at the guardians of Nyatapola Fig.6: Wooden tympanum

Fig.6: Struts on the roof Fig.7: Drighu Ganesh temple

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 7. CONCLUSION
After a month-long assiduous work of five group members, in the process of our research about
Nyatapola, we came to know a great deal about its magnificence and importance. Nyatapola is truly a
magnificent example of Nepalese art and architecture. Even the high Richter scale earthquake of 1990
B.S. was unable to deform it. Only its top roof toppled over. This definitely proves the grandeur of
Nyatapola. Every year thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Nepal to view and experience
the cultural and religious heritage of this part of the world.Hence it has helped to uplift the economic
status of the country too. Nyatapola is not only a symbol of architectural beauty but it also possesses
many social, cultural and religious importance. Till this date and for centuries ahead this temple has
and will remain as an emblem of unity and inspiration to all Nepalese people. However, a few of its
wood carvings, struts have been stolen away. It is very disappointing to see that such a masterpiece of
architecture has not been properly taken care of. We hope concerned authorities take necessary steps to
preserve and maintain the temple for our future generation.

8. REFERENCE
-Nyatapola Temple, Bhaktapur, Nepal (orientalarchitecture.com)
-Nyatapola Temple of Bhaktapur | Listed on World Heritage by UNESCO (bipinshilpakar.com.np)
-Nyatapola Temple, History of Nyatapola Temple, Establishment, Height (vivaanadventure.com)
-Facts about Nyatapola Temple (bhaktapur.com)
-Nyatapola Temple - Wikipedia

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