Nepal earthquake destroys Kathmandu valley’s architectural treasures

By Mark Brown
The Guardian, Apr 27, 2015

Many of Kathmandu valley’s most historically important buildings have been destroyed in the earthquake that struck on Saturday, April 25, 2015, killing more than 4,000 people. But heritage experts say glimmers of hope remain.

The Dharahara, a 60-metre white minaret tower built in in 1832 has been destroyed, while the Kasthamandap, a three-storey wooden temple in Durbar Square, has also been reduced to piles of wood and rubble.

(Image: Volunteers remove debris at the historic Dharahara tower. Photograph: AP)

“It is not as famous as the tower, but historically it is perhaps the most significant building in Kathmandu that has gone,” Prof Michael Hutt, director of the South Asia Institute at Soas and author of a book on the art and architecture of Kathmandu valley, said of the Kasthamandap, which gives the city its name. Read more…