VARNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

OF BUNGAMATI
PRESENTED BY: JITENDRA KHATRI
072/BAE/10
 BUNGAMATI

 BUNGAMATI AND KHOKANA

TWIN NEWARI VILLAGE
 LIES 8 KM SOUTH FROM
RINGROAD OF KATHMANDU
 BOTH VILLAGES ARE FRAMED BY
BAGMATI RIVER(WEST) AND
NAKKHU RIVER( EAST)
 PART OF THE KARYABINAYAK
MUNICIPALITY OF LALITPUR
DISTRICT
 IN 2015 EARTHQUAKE, OVER
200 HOUSES WERE DESTROYED
AND TWICE AS MANY WERE
HEAVILY DAMAGED
GENERAL INFO:
 AREA: 3.89 SQ. KM
 POPULATION: 2001- 5,667
2011- 5,966
GROWTH
RATE- +0.51 PER YEAR
 AGRICULTURE IS MAIN
SOURCE OF INCOME FOR THE
VILLAGE
 MOST FAMILIES OWN OR RENT
A PIECE OF AGRICULTURAL
LAND
 FAMOUS FOR WOOD CARVING
 CONCENTRIC TOPOGRAPHY

 INSPIRED FROM ‘MANDALA’

 MAINLY 3 ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE
OBSERVED IN NEWARI TOWNS AND
THAT REFERED TO MANDALA
 INNER CIRCLE: MOST IMPORTANT
PLACE (I.E. TEMPLE OR PALACE)
 REST OF THE SETTLEMENT FORM
THE BOUNDARY OF THE INNER
CIRCLE UNTIL THE EDGE OF THE
TOWN
 2ND CIRCLE: AGRIULTURAL FIELDS
 3RD CIRCLE: WIDER AREA OF
FOREST
 SETTLEMENT PATTERN

 BUNGAMATI ORIGINATES FROM THE

WORDS ‘BUGA YUMI GRAMA’ WHICH
MEANS GODS OF WATER RESOURCES
 ACCORDING TO LEGENDS: PEOPLE
FROM DIFFERENT PART OF THE VALLEY
CAME HERE TO RESIDE
>KATHMANDU- PRIESTS
>PATAN- FARMERS
>BHAKTAPUR- MERCHANTS
 TYPICAL NEWARIC FABRIC FORMED BY
VIBRANT STREETS AND A NETWORK OF
COURTYARDS
 FORMATION OF THE VILLAGE WAS NOT
PURELY GUIDED BY TOPOGRAPHY
 ALSO GUIDED BY DAILY LIFE OF
VILLAGERS AND VARIOUS PRINCIPLES
CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL SYSTEM
 SO EVERY SETTLEMENT IS UNIQUE
 CASTE SYSTEM

 MOST DOMINANT CASTE:

> SHAKYA- PRIESTS
> TULADHAR/ SHRESTHA-
MERCHANTS AND CRAFTMEN
> MAHARJAN- FARMERS
OWNING AGRICULTURAL LAND
 THE GUTHI SYSTEM
 THE MAIN SOCIAL STRUCTURE LEADING THE TRADITIONAL SETTLEMENT IS
THE GUTHI SYSTEM, DATING BACK FROM THE LICCHAVI PERIOD
 WORD ‘GUTHI” CAME FROM SANSKRIT WORD ‘GOSTHI’ MEANING AN
ASSOCIATION OR AN ASSEMBLY
 GROUP OF PEOPLE WITHIN COMMUNITY OR TOWN, BASED ON TERRITORIAL
PROXIMITY OR RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATION
 SEVERAL GUTHIS WITH THEIR OWN RITUALS AND RULES OF WORSHIPING
 TYPES:
> DE GUTHI- RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FESTIVALS
> SI GUTHI- RESPONSBLE FOR FUNERARY RITUALS
>TEMPLE/ FESTIVAL GUTHI- MORE OF VOLUNTARY KIND
ECONOMICAL ACTIVITIES

 REFLECTION OF CASTE SYSTEM

CAN BE SEEN IN ECONOMICAL
ACTIVITIES
 POPULATION MAINLY COMPOSED
OF FARMERS, CRAFTMEN AND
PRIESTS
 A LOT OF DIFFERENT ECONOMICAL
ACTIVITIES CAN BE SEEN
 CONSIDERED TO BE SELF
SUFFICIENT TOWN
 SECONDARY JOBS- HANDICRAFTS,
WOOL SPINNING, RUNNING SHOPS
OR CATERING SERVICES
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
 FESTIVALS

 MAIN FESTIVAL: RATO

MACHINDRANATH JATRA WHICH IS
RELATED TO GOD
MACHINDRANATH(GOD OF WATER) –
CELEBRATED DURING THE MONTH
BETWEEN APRIL AND MAY
 OTHER FESTIVALS: DASHAIN, TIHAR
OPEN SPACES

BUILDINGS OPEN SPACES

 BUILDING TYPOLOGIES

 GROUND FLOOR/ ‘CHEDI’- STORAGE

ROOM OR A WORKSHOP
 1ST FLOOR/ ‘MATA’- BEDROOM
 2ND FLOOR/ ‘CVAFA’- LIVING ROOM
 NO BATHROOM INSIDE THE BUILDING IN
THE PAST
 NOW-A-DAYS SEPRATE RESTROOMS IN
THEIR BACKGROUND OR ON THEIR
COURTYARD TO SHARE WITH
NEIGHBOURHOOD
FLOW OF PEOPLES AND TRAFFICS
 WATER SYSTEM

 THE BASIS OF TRADITIONAL

WATER SYSTEM IS A
CLOSED CYCLE OF VARIOUS
WATERBODIES DEPENDING
ON THE ‘RAJKULOS’ OR
ROYAL CANAL
 IN BUNGAMATI, A
TRIBUTATY OF THE ROYAL
CANAL CONTRIBUTES TO
THE WATER SUPPLY AND
IRRIGATES THE
SURROUNDING RICE FIELDS
 BUT NOW ROYAL CANAL IS
DETORIATED AND
PROVIDES LESS WATER
 MODERN WATER SYSTEM
 FIRST MODERN WATER SUPPLY,
PROVIDING WATER THROUGH PIPES
DATED FROM THE END OF 19TH
CENTURY
 BUNGAMATI IS CONNECTED TO
MODERN EATER SUPPLY, BUT THE
RAPID URBAN GROWTH COMES WITH
INCREASING DEMAND, WHICH
RESULTED IN THE RATIONING OF
WATER
 PRIVATE CONNECTION TO WATER
SUPPLY- ONLY RECIEVES WATER
DURING 2 HRS. A DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK
 WATER SERVICES

 IRRIGATION CANALS
 PLASTIC WATER TANKS
 CONCRETE WATER TANK
 TRADITIONAL WELL
 STONE SPROUT
 NON- ACTIVE TRADITIONALD
WATERBODY
 SEWRAGE NETWORK
REFERENCES

 GULLEKENS Y., ROELANDS E., VALCKE K., HULLE S.V. THE NEWARI
VERNACULAR REVISED
 MARIN V.A., AMIR S., MANNA A.K. MATTON I. LANDSCAPE
URBANISM EXPLORATIONS
 CHAPMAN I., HARRIS E.D., DOWSE L., DUCH N., JOHNSON R.
KATHMANDU EDGELANDS- BRICKFIELDS, HORTICULTURE AND URBAN
HILL VILLAGES POST EARTHQUAKE
THANK YOU!!!