Dharahara
Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha (Nepali: धरहरा; pronounced [dʱʌɾʌɦʌɾa] or [dʱʌɾʌːɾa]), is a 72-metre-tall (236 ft) tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was first built in 1832 by Mukhtiyar (equivalent to Prime Minister) Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO. It has been damaged and reconstructed several times.
| Dharahara (Bhimsen Stambha) | |
|---|---|
धरहरा | |
Dharahara after reconstruction in 2021 | |
| Alternative names | Bhimsen Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete (reconstructed) |
| Architectural style | Mughal and neoclassical style |
| Location | Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Country | Nepal |
| Coordinates | 27.7007°N 85.3119°E |
| Completed | 1832 or later |
| Destroyed |
|
| Height | 72 metres (236 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Debendra Nepal |
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 5.2-metre (17 ft) bronze mast on the roof.
Most of the tower collapsed in the 25 April 2015 Nepal earthquake, but the base remains. A total of 180 bodies were retrieved from the debris of tower after earthquake. Reconstruction of the tower commenced in October 2018, and it was officially opened on 24 April 2021, one day before the sixth anniversary of the earthquake.