Dharahara, also called Bhimsen Tower, was a nine-storey, tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was built in 1832 by MukhtiyarBhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO. The tower had a spiral staircase containing 213 steps. The eighth floor held a circular balcony for observers that provided a panoramic view of the Kathmandu valley. It also had a bronze mast on the roof. Most of the tower collapsed in the 25 April 2015 Nepal earthquake, but the base remains. Sixty bodies were found in the rubble. Reconstruction of the tower commenced in October 2018.
History
Dharahara in Kathmandu was the tallest building in Nepal and the second such tower built by Bhimsen Thapa. The first tower was built eight years earlier in 1824 and was eleven storeys high, two storeys taller than the Dharahara. Dharahara is said to have been built for Queen Tripurasundari, who was the niece of Bhimsen Thapa. During the earthquake of 1834, both towers survived, but the first of Bhimsen's two towers suffered severe damage. A century later, on 15 January 1934, another earthquake completely destroyed the first tower, and only two of the nine storeys of the second tower remained. The then Prime Minister of Nepal, Juddha Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, subsequently carried out renovation work of the Dharahara tower to fully restore it. After the original Bhimsen Tower was destroyed, Queen Lalit Tripurasundari's tower came to be known as Bhimsen Stambha. Dharahara was constructed for military usage as a watchtower. When incidents of national importance occurred, bugles were blown from the top floor of the tower. This was the signal for soldiers to assemble. This tradition of bugle trumpeting continued until the collapse of the tower.
2015 earthquake and reconstruction
On 25 April 2015, another earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 7.8, hit Kathmandu and its surrounding region, leading to the collapse of the tower. The earthquake's epicenter was approximately east-southeast of Lamjung, Nepal. The structure collapsed and only its base survived. In February 2016, the government decided to rebuild the tower, and Prime MinisterKP Sharma Oli and his cabinet ministers contributed one month's salary to the rebuilding. A fund called "I will construct Dharahara" was also established to collect money for the reconstruction. According to Sushil Gyawali, chief executive of the National Reconstruction Agency, the new tower will be earthquake-resistant. The foundation stone of the new tower was laid down on 27 December 2018. The reconstruction of Dharahara, which will now be a high-tech structure, started on 10 October 2018. The new Dharahara would look similar to the old one, however, it would be equipped with modern amenities. As per the reconstruction plan, the new Dharahara would be 245 ft. tall with 11-storeys, however, it would be of 21-storeys from the inside. The new structure will have a mini exhibition theatre on the 18th floor, a mint museum, a ‘Green Park’, a musical fountain, vehicle parking area, a souvenir shop and a food court, among other attractions.
The tower was a major tourist attraction and was open to the public from 2005 until its collapse in 2015. The management of Dharahara when it was standing came under severe scrutiny from locals and tourists. The Heritage Department of Kathmandu Metropolitan City came under severe criticism for its lack of effort to protect the heritage site.
