Thapathali Durbar () was a palace complex 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 ...

. Thapathali means abode of the Thapas. It was initially built by

Nain Singh Thapa Nain Singh Thapa or Nayan Singh Thapa () (died late 1806 or early 1807) was a Nepalese Kaji (minister) and a military general. He died in the offensive campaign of Kangra from bullet injury. He was the owner of the Thapathali Durbar temple compl ...

of the

Thapa dynasty Thapa dynasty or Thapa noble family ( ) also known as Dynasty of Borlang was a Chhetri political family that handled Nepali administration affairs from 1806 to 1837 A.D. and 1843 to 1845 A.D. as Mukhtiyar (Prime Minister). This was one ...

but was later occupied by Jung Bahadur Rana(Thapa) , as prime minister, the executive head of

. The palace complex, located north of the

Bagmati river The Bagmati River flows through the Kathmandu valley of Nepal, separating the cities of Kathmandu and Patan, before flowing through Madesh Province of southern Nepal and joining the Kamla River in the Indian state of Bihar. It is considered ...

, consists of a large number of courtyards, gardens, and buildings.

History

The palace complex lay in the heart of Kathmandu, to the north of the bagmati river. The history of the palace is closely linked with the history of Nepal and its rulers.

Under
Thapa dynasty Thapa dynasty or Thapa noble family ( ) also known as Dynasty of Borlang was a Chhetri political family that handled Nepali administration affairs from 1806 to 1837 A.D. and 1843 to 1845 A.D. as Mukhtiyar (Prime Minister). This was one ...

Nain Singh Thapa was credited with initiating construction of the palace complex.

Under Rana dynasty

In 1887, Juddhapratap Jung was murdered by the Shumsher Ranas.

Chandra Shumsher JBR Field-Marshal His Highness Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (8 July 1863 – 26 November 1929) was the Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901 to his death in 1929 after he ...

captured Thapathali Durbar and occupied it for 18 years until 1904. After Chandra Shumsher's death, his son Singha Shumsher JBR inherited and renamed the complex to Singha Mahal.

Singha Mahal

After Chandra Shumsher's death, his son Singha Shumsher JBR inherited the Thapathali Durbar Complex and named it Singha Mahal. Singha mahal is currently occupied by Nepal Rastra Bank.

Thapathali Vaidyakhana (Hospital)

Kal mochan temple

Kalmochan temple, dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god

Lord Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation (sattva). Vish ...

the preserver, was a part of the Durbar complex. It was built around the mid-19th century outside the walls. It was built in the Moghul Kathmandu-Gothic architecture style and has Mughal art and Nepali art. It is also known as Janga Hiranya Hemnarayan mandir. It is located at kalmochan ghat in Thapathali. It was built by Rana prime minister

Jung Bahadur Rana Jung Bahadur Rana, , was born Bir Narsingh Kunwar (1817-1877). His mother, Ganesh Kumari, was the daughter of Kaji Nain Singh Thapa, the brother of Mukhtiyar Bhimsen Thapa from the prominent Thapa dynasty. During his lifetime, Jung Bahadur eli ...

. He named it after his two wives Hiranya Garbha and Hem, whereas Narayan means god Bishnu. He built this temple to attain inner peace (mochan) as he was involved in many murders. It is believed that

had buried the dead bodies of people who died in Kot (Arsenal) Parva (massacre) under this temple. The April 2015 earthquake of Nepal reduced this temple to rubble. The temple was not in good shape for quite some time. The visual scars were evident in this structure, a large shear crack on the eastern wall and along edges of the roof after 2011 Sikkim earthquake of India. The entire Kalmochan Ghat is in a dilapidated situation after the last quake.

References

{{Reflist Thapa palaces of Nepal Palaces in Kathmandu