Nepal’s Architectural Heritage

“25th April 2015”; Even the very thought of this day daunts all Nepalese to the core. On this ill-fated day, our homeland got hit by a massive 8 Richter scale earthquake leaving Nepalese devastated, and Nepal in ruins. Over 6 lakh families were left without a roof, while more than 20,000 lost their lives. This massive earthquake not only left the entire nation in an unanticipated ordeal, but also caused the nation to bear an economic loss of over 7 trillion.

Some of our nation’s universally profound monuments, Durbar Squares and adroitly crafted temples, which had been preserved for centuries were devastated by this earthquake. This immense obliteration ignited a sense of irreplaceable visual and spiritual loss. Bhaktapur Durbar Square which once was considered one of the most aesthetically ancient architectural sites in the world, too was severely damaged. Likewise the stunning Kathmandu Durbar Square also sustained extreme damage with parts of the Hanuman Dhoka (the city’s oldest palace) having collapsed, along with the pagodas of several temples. Other cultural heritage sites of Nepal too, suffered similar and rather more extreme damages, completely destroying what Nepal is most celebrated for; it’s mesmerizing and ancient cultural heritage sites. The 1,600-year-old Changu Narayan Temple was also negatively impacted, with its massive granite beam being shaken off its two upright supports. It now lies on the ground as mere debris of dust and wooden pieces.

While accepting the fact that that the most onerous problems and havocs come uninvited this unfortunate disaster was a great time for Nepal to learn from its mistakes; a mistake of showing nonchalance to the greatest gifts our ancestors have bestowed upon us. Nepal indeed, did make an attempt to learn from its past and started the renovation process of rebuilding its cultural heritage stronger than it ever was. It’s been nearly four years that this earthquake struck Nepal, yet unfortunately most of our medieval temples and monuments are still not completely rebuild. Our half-made temples and monuments are a standing testimony of the fact that we are yet to put on solid effort to preserve our antique architecture.

Even though many show little interest in preserving and celebrating our cultural heritages, some enterprises do put in a lot of time, dedication and compassion in highlighting Nepal’s unique and out of the world ancient architecture. Hotel Roadhouse, a freshly started enterprise, lying right in the very heart of the busy and bustling streets of Thamel is unquestionably one of such few enterprises.

Hotel Roadhouse is an endeavor to preserve Nepal’s inimitable Newari architecture while providing the guests with modern day comforts and new-age amenities. The façade of the hotel showcases the ancient Newari construction, while the interiors of the hotel is fully equipped with modern conveniences. The exterior of our hotel is styled and built up using bricks (a design rarely seen outside Nepal) along with deftly carved wood work. Hotel Roadhouse is an ode to the rich Newari Architecture and is a remarkable attempt to preserve and bring back such exquisite architectural designs back, while blending into the modern style of living.

This hotel is unlike any other hotel in Nepal as it has a special motive; a motive of making Newari Architecture universally renowned, a motive of preserving the skill of creating such exquisite construction that has been passed down by our ancestors. By choosing to make a stay at Hotel Roadhouse, you are not only getting an opportunity to enjoy the beauty and comforts of ancient and modern at once, but are also contributing to preserve Nepal’s spectacular cultural heritage.