Preliminary Research for the Restoration Support and the Rehabilitation of Damaged Cultural Heritage in Nepal
An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Nepal on April 25th, 2015. Subsequently, several regions, including the capital city of Kathmandu, were stricken, and many cultural properties, including the World Cultural Heritage, were damaged. Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (TOBUNKEN) has been continuing the investigation and support for the preservation of damaged cultural heritage since November 2015 through projects such as the one commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Recently, I was asked to travel there by Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA). The investigation required partially dismantling the podium of the Shiva Temple in the Hanumandhoka Palace in Kathmandu and was conducted from December 5th–17th, 2021.
Shiva Temple, which is a 5m by 5m-multi-storied building, is considered to have been constructed in the 17th century. Its super structure had completely collapsed due to the above mentioned earthquake. TOBUNKEN conducted excavations to examine the composition of its foundation in June, 2017. To this end, we investigated the internal composition and condition of the remaining podium that was made of bricks to obtain the basic data and materials to reinforce the structure, which was essential for its full recovery.
From this investigation, we found that the bricks outside and at the upper parts of the podium were varied and uneven in composition and placement, being irregularly piled on top of each other. This suggests that such parts were restored sometime later than the original construction. On the contrary, the bricks inside and at the lower parts were standardized, and regularly and precisely piled, implying that these parts made up the original structure before restoration. These parts maintain relative stability, which supports our previous investigation outcome.
Furthermore, we plan to conduct a compositional analysis of the adhesive used to join stones at the upper structure as well as the mortar applied to bricks at the joint of the podium. We hope that the research outcome can support Nepal’s earthquake rehabilitation efforts and contribute to enhancing the local understanding of historic buildings.