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Bhaktapur
Sangralaya
Bhaktapur-A World Heritage Site, twelve kilometers
east of Kathmandu, is mainly known for its rich
cultural heritage and fine traditional crafts.
Arts and crafts
Based on religious themes from Buddhism and
Hinduism, the city has a magnificent collection of
various classic and medieval masterpieces in wood,
stone and metal. The many excavated terra-cotta
figures are representative of pre-Licchavi art from
the 5th to the 8th century. Besides innumerable
monumental masterworks, terra-cotta structures
supported by carved wooden columns, elaborately
carved struts, windows and doors, gilded roofs and
pinnacles, open spacious courts all around the city
are major attractions demonstrating the exquisite
craftsmanship of the Newars.
Culture
Ancient ritual dances and festivals are observed
with the same fervour and enthusiasm as they were
centuries ago. Consequently, the city is still a
venue for a great many festivals, many of them as
unique as the city itself. While Bhaktapur’s
Gai-Jatra (July/August) and the tantrically-inspired
Nava Durga Dance (October-June), which is comprised
of the city’s protector deities, are the “only ones
of their kind” in Nepal, the Bisket Jatra (April),
one of Nepal’s more exciting festivals, is the only
such event observed according to the official solar
calendar.
The Newars are as rich in traditional, classical and
folk music as they are in dancing, and not a single
festival, feast or ceremony, ‘from womb to tomb’,
passes without them being accompanied by music and
dances. Different musical instruments are used
during different festive occasions as well as during
funeral processions.
2. Issues and Problems
With the passage of time, it is to be expected that
traditional cities become endangered and begin to
lose their traditional identities. Concerned
municipalities mainly focus on the preservation of
historical monuments but that only is not sufficient
for preserving the complete identity of the city.
The traditional city doesn’t form itself, each and
every part of such a city plays a vital role in the
formation of a historical city.
Generally, preservation works are restricted only to
certain areas but looking towards the future, all
historic monuments are valuable and without overall
conservation efforts, it can be predicted that, with
time, there will be tremendous cultural loss due to
simple environmental degradation. A minor
deterioration of a day will be giant loss after
centuries.
· Deterioration Of Spirit Of Place
“Spirit of place” describes the notion that every
place has its own individual uniqueness, character
and identity which distinguishes it from other
places. The memory of a place is the psychological
reaction of human beings to spatial structure while
the ‘time’ dimension adds the experience of the
place. Traditional cities are those which express
traditional and original values of their origins.
Every historical place has its own unique
socio-cultural setting and symbolic meaning which
expresses its identity. Traditional character
reveals use of peculiar design elements that
highlight the originality of a particular community
of a particular place in a particular sequence of
time. One place might have its unique character in
ruins while another’s may be in a better condition.
Craft And Craftsmanship In Endangered Condition
The distinctive features of traditional art and
craft are a continuation of hierarchical skills in
propagating regional or period décor, furnishings,
finishes, art and artifacts. Rapid urbanization and
changes in lifestyle obviously affect adversely,
traditional craftsmanship. Some reasons for this
could be the lack of raw material, enough space and
manpower added to reduced market value and returns.
The need of more finance to meet the needs of
today’s society has led potters and other craftsmen
to search for alternative work leading to many
families leaving their customary professions such as
pottery, stone carving, and wood carving, while the
younger generations have lost interest.
3. Emergence Of Bhaktapur Sangralaya
In Bhaktapur, tourism and culture complement each
other: tourism conserves culture and, in turn,
culture promotes tourism. An abundance of historic,
artistic and uniquely designed monuments; cultural
riches like festivals, dances, music and art as well
as the distinctive life style within Bhaktapur,
Thimi and adjacent areas attract thousands of
tourists. Likewise, nearby Changunarayan, one of the
oldest existing monuments in Nepal, has established
itself as another popular destination for ‘Cultural
Tourists’.
The Bhaktapur Sangralaya has been proposed in
Sallaghari as a reliable center to impart
information about interesting sites and thus
encourage tourists to visit more and different parts
of Bhaktapur.
4. Evolution of Design
4.1 Identification Of Design Factor
The conceptual approach was based on literature
surveys and case studies. The following aspects were
taken into consideration:
· Mix-land use (museum functions)
· Social factor
· Design factor
• Arniko highway
• Link of spaces
• Focus point
• Axis/node
• Hierarchy of spaces
• Solid and void
• Circulation
• Ambience
• Vista/view
• Functionality - existing and purposed use
• Landscape element
Courtyard, Amphitheater, Water body, Pathways,
Spaces for rest, Shade, Vegetation, Split levels
4.2 Hierarchy Of Spaces
Spaces are developed according to their hierarchy of
usage. Public, rather than private areas, are most
important for the efficient running of a museum
while semi private areas add to the quality of the
overall project.
4.3 Types Of Exhibitions
· Non-physical aspects
The theme of life, truth and rituals of people never
change and can be called cultural aspects. For this,
separate galleries will be provided at different
floor levels.
· Physical aspects
The physical forms of antiques change with time.
Those aspects will be displayed in galleries with
respect to time for the comparative study of
changing technology reflecting its continuity and
the changes. Generally, art and craft fall in this
category. The history of art in Nepal is divided
into five major periods prior to the Gorkha dynasty.
These are pre-Lichhavi, Lichhavi, transitional,
early Malla and late Malla periods. Art and craft of
the early Shah period will be on exhibit as well.
Types Of Exhibit
1. Static exhibitions
Static exhibitions are fixed and permanent exhibits
which are the regular displays of any museum. The
products can be broadly classified as:
· Technology category
It will include the technologies used in making clay
crafts as well as the process of making traditional
Ayla (Newari Raksi), beaten rice, hand woven
clothes, terra-cotta products, etc.
· Historical section - history section, coins
display, historical pictures
· Art and craft section - wooden, metal and stone
carvings, terracotta products
· Cultural section - festival pictures, pauwa
paintings, cultural artifacts and Newari jewelry
· Newar life cycle gallery - pictures, costumes
· Musical instruments gallery
· Mannequin display-different dances
2. Motional Programs
· Cultural programs
Auditorium is designed to promote Newari cultural
programs at regular intervals, hosting shows like
dances (Mahakali, Bhairab and Sikali dances, Gan
Pyakhan), dramas, musical concerts or any other form
of presentation (archeological findings) etc.
· Handicrafts exhibitions
Workshop items like terra-cotta earthen wares,
sculptures, papier mache, clay masks, puppets,
traditional-hand woven clothes and handicrafts can
be displayed and sold off to generate income for
museum’s sustainability. Also, outside work can be
displayed and sold as well.
· Open air theater
The open-air theater can be used to organize various
cultural events. It will be better locating it near
the classrooms so that it can be used for
recitation.
4.4 Functional Concept
In any museum design, understanding of visitors’
interest is mandatory. Exhibitions should be
arranged in such a way as to make visitors feel
comfortable and interested enough to visit the
galleries. Placements of general galleries near the
entry foyer ensure that visitors are enthused by the
sight of various objects/artifacts. These galleries
can be viewed in sequence or according to one’s
option depending upon choice. Having visited the
general galleries, one can go on to the galleries
around the central atrium. After visiting the
various galleries, visitors are guided to a
commercial area with shops and workshops where they
can interact with craftsmen. From there, one can go
and watch programs going on in the auditorium and
relax in the amphitheater.
Zoning
Services which are very essential to the museum
block are placed on the northwest corner of the
site. Other functions are dependent on an overall
ambience of the museum and are placed from the
southwest corner to the northeast. The zoning of the
functions is done in such a way that functions like
the auditorium, lecture hall, open amphitheater,
restaurant, and library can be used in
non-businesses hours also thereby helping in the
sustainability of the museum. All these functions
should be connected internally during business
hours. Other functions like the galleries is open to
all during business hours only. For non
business-hour activities, separate entry should be
provided and people should be prohibited from entry
to the galleries.
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