Conservation of Shree Napichandra Mahavihara, Lalitpur, Nepal

Shree Napichandra Mahavihara popularly known as Duntu Bahi is located to the north of Patan Durbar square, an UNESCO World Heritage zone of the Kathmandu Valley. Little historical evidence remains of the original monastery buildings as it collapsed after the 1934 earthquake. The main shrine was rebuilt in the 1980’s and the adjoining Sattal in 2013. The ‘Bahil’ typology of monastery building consists of a sunken central courtyard surrounded by the main shrine building and Sattals. The original shrine building suffered extensive damage after the 1934 earthquake and was rebuilt in 1980’s. The adjoining sattals were rebuilt in 2013 by Government of India Grant.

Due to inappropriate additions and alterations, extensive damage caused due to water seepage from ground and roof, and the high cost of retrofitting the main shrine building, it is proposed to reconstruct the shrine building as part of the conservation strategy for the building. The restoration of the main shrine building and central courtyard will be carried out using traditional construction material and construction methods.

Due to the current condition of the building, it has been recommended to be reconstructed using traditional construction material and methods as per Nepal’s Ancient Monument Preservation Act, 2013 (1956) and Department of Archaeology’s Basic Guidelines and Manual for conservation and reconstruction of heritage affected by 2015 earthquake (2072).

Project Cost: NPR2.85Crore; USD- 0.24Million

Map Link: http://goo.gl/maps/NMRmXGsWjUf57GZ86