Dharahara
| Dharahara | |
|---|---|
धरहरा (Nepali) | |
The reconstructed Dharahara | |
| Alternative names | Bhimsen Tower |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete (reconstructed) |
| Architectural style | Mughal and neoclassical style |
| Location | Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal, Nepal |
| Coordinates | 27°42′03″N 85°18′43″E / 27.7007°N 85.3119°E |
| Completed | 1832 or later |
| Destroyed |
|
| Height | |
| Height | 72 metres (236 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Debendra Nepal |
| Website | |
| https://dharahara.gov.np/ | |
Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha (Nepali: धरहरा; pronounced [dʱʌɾʌɦʌɾa] or [dʱʌɾʌːɾa]), is a 72-metre-tall (236 ft) tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal. It was first built in 1832 by Mukhtiyar (equivalent to Prime Minister) Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO. It has been destroyed and reconstructed several times.
The tower has a spiral staircase containing 213 steps. The eighth floor holds a circular balcony for observers that provides a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley. It also has a 5.2-metre (17 ft) bronze mast on the roof.
Most of the tower collapsed in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, but the base remained. A total of 180 bodies were retrieved from the debris of the tower after the earthquake. Reconstruction of the tower commenced in October 2018, and it was partially opened on 24 April 2021, one day before the sixth anniversary of the earthquake. However, construction work on the tower continued until September 2024.