The Maitighar Mandala () is a symbolic monument located in the heart of

Kathmandu Kathmandu () is the capital and largest city of Nepal, situated in the central part of the country within the Kathmandu Valley. As per the 2021 Nepal census, it has a population of 845,767 residing in 105,649 households, with approximately 4 mi ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

. It is an island at the intersection of roads from Thapathali, New Baneshwor,

Bhadrakali Bhadrakali (IAST: Bhadrakālī; ) is an important goddess, mainly worshiped by Hindus, and is a form of Kali. She is considered to be the auspicious and fortunate form of Adi Shakti or Durga, the supreme mother who protects the good, known ...

and at the southeast corner of Singhadurbar, the administrative centre of Nepal. It forms an important landmark in the beautification of Kathmandu city and a master piece of art depicting Buddhist relics. It also marks the initiation mark stone of one of the major highways of Nepal,

Araniko Highway The Araniko Highway or NH 03 () connects Kathmandu with Kodari, northeast of the Kathmandu Valley, on the Nepal-China border. It is among the most dangerous of highways in Nepal due to extremely steep slopes on each side of the road from Barab ...

, that links Nepal with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

History

The

Mandala A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

was built in 2001 for the 11th

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

summit in Nepal to showcase Nepali culture after clearing many multi-story buildings during the tenure of mayor Keshav Sthapit.

Etymology

The name "Maitighar" literally means the "Parental Home" of the married women. Actually, there was a movie theater in today's Maitighar in the past, and a classic Nepal film, Maithighar (1966) was run for about a year. As there was a large poster depicting the name of the movie, people started calling the place as Maitighar. The native name of the monument in

Newar language Newar (; , ) is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. The language is known officially ...

is Fibwa Khya ().

Symbolism

The Mandala was designed to be in the form of a series of concentric circles. The outer-most has 32 ''vajras'', the one next to it has 16 lotus petals and the inner has 32 garlands. Various colors on the

(blue background, black, orange, and blue circles) symbolize man's characteristics - too much of one would result in an imbalanced temperament. Black stands for Krodh (anger), orange for ''Prem'' (love) and blue for ''

Karuṇā () is generally translated as compassion or mercy and sometimes as self-compassion or spiritual longing. It is a significant spiritual concept in the Indic religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Hinduism In Hinduism, is o ...

'' (compassion). At the four corners of the mandala are symbols of the Ashtamangal.

Significance

During the

Nepalese Civil War The Nepalese Civil War was a protracted armed conflict that took place in the then Kingdom of Nepal from 1996 to 2006. It saw countrywide fighting between the Kingdom rulers and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), with the latter making ...

, peace advocates gathered at the Mandala to show solidarity for peace and against violence. The government declaring the Mandala area a protest-free-site.

Maintenance

By 2010, the Mandala artwork fell into disrepair. In 2011, the Agriculture Development Bank, Nepal pledged to devote resources to restore the Mandala. The Mandala got a face-lift for the 18th

summit along with the overall enhancement of roads in Kathmandu.

Gallery

File:Flag of Nepal2.jpg, Huge flag of Nepal near the Mandala File:Guthi Bill Protest 7.jpg, alt=Guthi Bill Protest at Mandala, Guthi Bill Protest at the Mandala

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Kathmandu Tourist attractions in Kathmandu Monuments and memorials in Nepal