Dharahara

Dharahara (Nepali: धरहरा), likewise called Bhimsen Tower, was a nine-story, 61.88-meter-tall (203.0 ft)[1] tower at the focal point of Sundhara in Kathmandu.[2] It was worked in 1832 by Mukhtiyar (identical to Prime Minister) Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari and was a piece of the design of Kathmandu perceived by UNESCO.[3]

The tower had a winding staircase containing 213 stages. The eighth floor held a roundabout gallery for spectators that gave an all encompassing perspective of the Kathmandu valley. It likewise had a 5.2-meter (17 ft) bronze pole on the roof.[2]

The greater part of the tower fallen in the 25 April 2015 Nepal tremor, however the base remains.[4][5] Sixty bodies were found in the rubble.[6] Reconstruction of the tower is to initiate in November 2017.

History

Dharahara in Kathmandu was the tallest working in Nepal and the second such tower worked by Bhimsen Thapa.[7] The principal tower was fabricated eight years before in 1824 and was 11 stories high, two stories taller than the Dharahara. Dharahara is said to be worked for Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari, who was the niece of Bhimsen Thapa.[8]

Amid the seismic tremor of 1834, the two towers survived,[9] yet the primary Bhimsen's tower endured serious harm. After a century, on 15 January 1934, another seismic tremor totally pulverized the principal tower, and just two of the 9 stories of the second tower remained. The then Prime Minister of Nepal, Juddha Shumsher, thusly did remodel work of the Dharahara tower to completely reestablish it.[3] After the first Bhimsen Tower was wrecked, Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari's tower wound up noticeably known as 'Bhimsen Stambha' or 'Bhimsen Tower'.

Dharahara was built for military use as a watchtower. At the point when episodes of national significance happened, trumpets were blown from the best floor of the tower. This was the flag for officers to gather. This convention of cornet trumpeting proceeded until the fall of the tower.[2][10]

On 25 April 2015, another seismic tremor, with an expected extent of 7.9 (Mw), hit the district, prompting the crumple of the tower.[5] The quake's epicenter was around 29 kilometers (18 mi) east-southeast of Lamjung, Nepal.[4] The structure fallen and just its base survived.[11][12][13]

In February 2016, the administration chose to remake the tower, and Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and his bureau priests contributed one month's compensation to the modifying. A store called I will build Dharahara was additionally settled to gather cash for the reproduction. As indicated by Sushil Gyawali, a structural architect who heads the National Reconstruction Agency, the new tower will be quake resistant.[14] The establishment stone of the new tower is to be set down on 24 April 2016.[15]

Architecture

The engineering of Dharahara was outlined in both Mughal and European style. It looked like an Islamic minaret. The statue of Hindu god Shiva was set on the highest point of the tower.[8]

Tourism before collapse

The tower was a noteworthy vacation spot and was interested in people in general from 2005 until its fall in 2015. The admission for entering the site and rising the tower was set at the accompanying rates;[2]

Nonnatives — USD 4.00 (around NPR 400)

SAARC nationals — USD 1.00 (around NPR 100)

Local people — NPR 50 (around USD 0.50)

Local people under over the age of 5 65 — Free

The administration of Dharahara when it was standing went under serious investigation from local people and visitors. The Heritage Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City went under serious feedback for its absence of push to ensure the legacy site.[16]