Sundari Chowk is the oldest courtyard in Patan Durbar Square, constructed in the early-to-mid 17th century by King Siddhi Narasinha Malla. It features an intricately carved central bathing area used by kings and is designed similar to a Newa-style Buddhist monastery. After extensive restoration from 2006-2016, it now houses galleries celebrating Newar architecture and seeks to educate visitors about its historic construction.

1. SUNDARI
CHOWK
PRESENTED BY- PRESENTED TO-
JOWELSHA BAJRACHARYA Ar. MANJU MAINALEE
075/BAR/020

2. CONTENT
I. INTRODUCTION
II. HISTORY
III. ACCESS
IV. FEATURES
V. RESEMBLANCE TO NEWA BAHIS
VI. PARKS AND GARDENS
VII. FLOORS
VIII. CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY
IX. PROPORTIONS
X. PRESENT CONDITION AND RENOVATION
XI. CONCLUSION

3. INTRODUCTION
 Sundari Chowk is the first among the three courtyards to have been constructed in
the Patan Durbar Square vicinity.
 It is single bayed with parallel load bearing walls.
 It is known for its extravagantly carved stone bath and wood ornamentation of animals
and deities

4. HISTORY
 It was constructed by the pious king of Patan, Siddhi Narasinha Malla during the
early to mid 17th century (1627-1680) as a 2 storeyed complex.
 The additional 3rd floor was added in the 1730s.
 It was used as a residential square by the royal Mallas of Patan.
 Next to the bathing area, he had a large stone couch erected where he spent many
nights sleeping or meditating.

5. STONE SLAB
INTERNAL COURTYARD OF SUNDARI CHOWK

6. ACCESS
It lies at the far southern end of the main road of the square right adjacent to
Mul Chowk
 Initially it had a north entrance.
 Three dalans are located on the three faces, except in South.
 At South we can find continuous carving of shivalingas defining no dalans.
The entrance is protected by two stone statues representing Ganesh on the left
and Narasinha on the right.
 The courtyard is at a lower level than the street with the exception of a
walkaway measuring one meter in length.

7. ENTRANCE TO SUNDARI CHOWK WITH GANESH TO THE LEFT AND NARASINHA TO THE RIGHT

8.  It was built on the concept of Vastupurusha Mandala.
 During renovation in 2034 BS, there has been removing and replacing of images.
 However, one old image of Indra was left untouched which is placed according
to the Vastupurusha Mandala.
 Carving on the different doors with different motifs are found along with erotic
carvings related to Kamadeva.

9. Hanuman and Narasinha at the right of the entrance
Main Entrance to Sundari Chowk

10. FEATURES
 The major attraction of the Chowk is the gilded and intricately carved open bathing
place called the Tusa Hiti.
 Tusa Hiti lies in the centre of the open courtyard of Sundari Chowk and was used by
kings for bathing
 The fountain spout is gilded and the walls of the bath are adorned with exquisitely
carved fine stones.
 The small screened windows, rooms no higher than two meters, the narrow
staircases and open air bathroom point to conclude that living conditions of the
Nepali kings were quiet unassuming.

11. CENTRALLY LOCATED TUSA HITI
INTRICATE STONE CARVINGS
EXQUISITE GOLD SPOUT

12.  The planning and building of the king’s residential chowk resembled greatly to a
Buddhist monastery (bahi) than living quarters.
 In spite of an impressive front façade, all rooms looked mainly onto the inner
courtyard
 There are no central structural walls or partitions
 Each corner staircases led to self contained living quarters and each chowk had its
own sanctuary.
RESEMBLANCE TO NEWA BAHIS

13. RESEMBLANCE TO NATIVE NEWA BAHI

14. PARKSAND GARDENS
 Parks were not attached to any palaces but there were gardens with high walls
 Ponds and water fountains in the gardens and inner courtyards served as bathing
and washing spaces.
 The garden Bhandarkhal was laid out according to an inscription to provide flowers
and consecrated water for the daily worship of Taleju.

15. BHANDARKHAL

16. FLOORS
 The kothas, rooms and open halls which surround the chowk have doors and
windows that overlook the chowks.
 The ground floor was used as stable, arsenals, sanctuaries and for the guards.
 There were four staircases located at each corner of the chowk leading to the upper
floors.

17. GROUND FLOOR OF SUNDARI CHOWK
CENTRAL HITI
MAIN ENTRANCE

18.  Communications between these rooms were not planned as no inter connections
were found among any rooms.
 The four rooms on the first floor appear to have been used as living and
sleeping spaces.
 The first floor opened to a long and narrow room as long and wide as one wing
of the chowk from the staircases.
 The north-east side of the floor was the King and Queen’s chamber

19. KING+QUEEN CHAMBER
OPEN COURTYARD
FIRST FLOOR PLAN

20.  The second floor which was perhaps added later on acts like a corridor linking
the different rooms with one another and the floors below.
 It consists of a surrounding latticed balcony that forms the link.
 The rooms on this floor served as kitchens and eating halls and the space
immediately below the roof was too small to be of any use.

21. SECOND FLOOR PLAN
INTERCONNECTING BALCONY

22. CONSTRUCTIONTECHNOLOGY
 The construction technology is load bearing system (brick and mud motor).
 Construction materials consisted of brick, timber, mud floor and tiling, Jhingati roof .
 Timber was used for joists, frame, windows, doors, floor planks, etc.
 The foundation would be made of brick.
 It is said that Sundari chowk has got no foundation and instead wall itself acts as the
foundation.
 Roofs have ridge with the center post raised in King post truss. The rooves are
supported by struts.
 The corridors / balconies walkways (cantilevers) are supported by wooden struts.
 Windows and doors are not load bearing components. So A lots of carving (Krishna)
had been done.
 The window openings are normally slope narrow out.
 After the earthquake of 1934 AD, Ranas restored it in two bay wall construction.

24. PROPORTIONS
 Diagonal of Sundari chowk is equal to side of the Mulchowk and Keshav Mohan
chowk.
 This implies that Sundari Chowk was built first with the principle of layout applied.
SUNDARI CHOWK
MUL CHOWK

27. PRESENT CONDITIONAND RENOVATION
 While work continues around the square and the palace complex, the KVPT’s ten-
year-long restoration of the Sundari Chowk (2006-2016), long considered the most
beautiful courtyard in the Valley and an example of the grace and ambition of
Newar Architecture at its best, is now complete and open to Nepali nationals for an
entrance fee of Rs 30 which covers a visit to the Patan Museum’s Keshab Narayan
Chowk, the Mul Chowk (or main courtyard), and the now complete inner-most
Sundari Chowk, accessed via the Mul Chowk or circuitously through the gardens that
are home to the also restored Bhandarkhal tank and its intricate stone pavilion.
 The eastern façade, reconstructed after the east wing collapsed in 1934, contrasts
starkly with the rest of the building for its lack of ornament and use of ordinary
brick.

28.  For those who may want to see how the Sundari Chowk itself may have been
conceived and constructed, along with galleries with mud-floors and exposed
wall paintings have been left untouched by the restorers so that the public may
experience the feeling of bare feet on finely laid mud, an aspect that has now
been taken over by brick tiling in an emulation of tradition that is not strictly
accurate but more practical.
 The mud floors in the Sundari Chowk must only be stepped on without shoes and
the galleries are closed weekly for maintenance in order to keep these fragile
floors intact.
 The travails of fund-raising and gathering expertise for the restoration of this
storied courtyard are recorded in a beautiful, scholarly book published by the
KVPT as documentation for future restoration efforts

29. RESTORATION OF SUNDARI CHOWK

30. CONCLUSION
Today the Sundari Chowk is an emblem of decades-long dream to establish
architectural galleries within it—celebrating the arts that house them. The
permanent collection in the grey painted Architecture Gallery, curated by Niels
Gutschow, holds works of drawings and carefully recreated architectural edifices
that seek to elaborate how former generations set about creating components of
palace spaces such as the Sundari Chowk. Celebrated as the finest craftmanship of
the architecturally gifted Newa community, may it stand tall and proud and awe
any visitors, locals or foreigners alike till the end of all times.