Singha Durbar () is a palace in

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 ...

, the capital of

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 ...

. The palace complex lies in the centre of Kathmandu, to the north of Babar Mahal and Thapathali Durbar and east of Bhadrakali Temple. This palace was built by Chandra Shumsher JBR in June 1908. The palace used to be one of the most exquisite and lavish of palaces in the world until the 1950s. Today it houses buildings of the Nepali Government, including the

Pratinidhi Sabha The House of Representatives, commonly known as Pratinidhi Sabha (), is one of the houses of the Federal Parliament of Nepal, with the other house being the National Assembly (Nepal), National Assembly. Members of the House of Representatives are ...

, the Rastriya Sabha and several ministries.

History

Singha Durbar was built by Chandra Shumsher JBR immediately after his accession to the post of Prime Minister. It was initially a small private residence but grew bigger during construction. Immediately after construction, Chandra Shumsher JBR sold this property to the Government of Nepal for 20 million Nepali rupees as the official residence of the Prime Minister. After his death in 1929, it was used as the official residence of prime ministers of the Rana dynasty except Padma Shumsher JBR, who lived in his own Bishalnagar Durbar. The last Rana Prime Minister to occupy Singha Durbar was Mohan Shumsher JBR. Even after the fall of the Rana dynasty in 1951, Mohan used this place, but in 1953 he was ordered by His Majesty's Government to leave the palace which became National Property.

Under Government of Nepal

After the end of the hereditary Prime Minister system ( Ranas) in 2007 B.S., the Government of Nepal used this palace compound to house government offices. The palace compound is occupied by both chambers of the Parliament of Nepal (the Pratinidhi Sabha, or

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, and the Rashtriya Sabha, or House of the States). It holds 20 ministries and government offices. Singh Durbar is also the headquarters of

Radio Nepal Radio Nepal () is the state-owned Radio broadcasting organisation of Nepal. It was established on 2 April 1951. Radio Nepal airs programs on shortwave, medium wave (AM broadcasting, AM) and FM broadcasting, FM frequencies. Regular broadcasts ...

and

Nepal Television Nepal Television (), shortened to NTV is the Nepali national Public broadcasting, public state-controlled television broadcaster. It's accessible in four languages. It is the oldest and most watched television channel in Nepal. The news broadcas ...

Design

Exterior structure

The structure was designed by Kumar Narsingh Rana, Kishor Narsingh Rana. The architecture of the palace is a unique example of merging building traditions, including

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

, Corinthian, Neoclassical mansions along with

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

Interior space

Before the fire of 1973, Singha Durbar had 7 courtyards and 1700 rooms with marbled floor, painted ceilings, silver furniture and expanses of crystal lighting.

State Hall

The State Hall is the largest and the most decorated room in this palace. This hall is adorned with foreign imported art pieces like

Murano glass Venetian glass () is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a Soda–lime glass, soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techn ...

crystal chandeliers, Belgian mirrors along with English stained glass doors and Italian marble floors with floral patterns in walls and ceilings.

Gallery Baithak

Juddha Shumsher built Gallery Baithak to meet foreign dignitaries. During that time, ambassadors from friendly countries used to present their credence at the Hanuman Dhoka. Later the Gallery Baithak was used as the parliament building.

Disasters

Fire of 1973

On Monday, 9 July 1973, a huge fire broke out in Singha Durbar engulfing all three wings of the palace except the front facing wing . To prevent the front wing from catching fire, cannons destroyed three wings facing North, South and West. After the fire was put out, the whole area was rebuilt on the old foundation.

Earthquake of 2015

Singha Durbar was seriously damaged during the

April 2015 Nepal earthquake The April 2015 Nepal earthquake (also known as the Gorkha earthquake) killed 8,962 people and injured 21,952 across the countries of Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. It occurred at on Saturday 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of Moment magni ...

References

{{Commons category, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu Rana palaces of Nepal Palaces in Kathmandu Official residences in Nepal Prime ministerial residences Tourist attractions in Kathmandu 1908 establishments in Nepal