The Ranas bequeathed to the nation a style of buildings totally different in scale and design from the traditional Newar and Shah architecture of yore. The buildings were mostly white plastered with French windows and Grecian columns of various sizes. Most of them were designed in wither the neo-classical style or Baroque.

•  Narayan Hiti Durbar was built in 1847 by Jung Bahadur Rana for his brother Rana Uddip Singh in neo-classical style. Later on, it served as the Royal Palace of the Shah Kings and was remodeled and enlarged in 1889. In 1969, a modern style palace building was constructed by King Mahendra. It is now a museum and also houses the Foreign Ministry.

•  Singha Durbar was built by Chandra Sumshere in 1903 as his residence. The palace had more than 1000 rooms arranged around seven quadrangles and was among the largest building in South Asia. The entire building except for the front wing was destroyed by fire in 1973. The complex now houses the parliament and many ministeries besides Nepal Television and Nepal Planning Commission. 

• Bahadur Bhawan was constructed in 1889 and was later refurbished into the first hotel of Nepal, the Royal Hotel. It now houses the Election Commission.

• Lal Durbar was built for Bir Sumshere in 1890. A part of the building has been renovated and incorporated into the Hotel Yak and Yeti complex.

•  Seto Durbar was also constructed by Bir Sumshere in 1893. Most of the palace building was destroyed by fire during the 1934 earthquake. Only a small wing of the original building remains and is visible on the west side of King’s Way.

• Phora Durbar was constructed by Bir Sumshere next to his palace in 1895 with gardens and fountains. The building was completely dismantled in 1960. It is now a club for Americans.

• Agni Bhawan was built in 1894 for Agni Sumshere, son of Juddha Sumshere. It was remodeled into a hotel in 1964 and is still functioning as the Hotel Shanker.

• Keshar Mahal was built in 1895. It was built around a courtyard and was surrounded by gardens and water bodies. It is currently being used as the Ministry of Education and the Keshar Library.

•  Sital Niwas was completed in 1923. The building was extensively damaged in the 1934 earthquake and had to be rebuilt. The building is now the Rastrapati Bhawan.

PHOTO GALLERY

2 Comments add your comment »

POST A COMMENT