Holy Grit

This post is in continuation of previous posts about the repair works that were carried out on the main Janabahaa Dyo temple (Renovation Works Officially Launched and Thinking Out of the Box) and the antiquities found lying around (Doorway to the Past and History Unearthed).

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Countless heaps of dust and muck were removed from the upper floors during the cleaning up process to replace the flooring.

All the grime was collected in the courtyard...

...and sifted through meticulously.

 Mummified mice and pigeons were a common find.

A few artifacts were found in the dirt, though of no great value. 

 

These are some of the dyo pala gurujus (caretaker priests of Janabahaa Dyo) who personally undertook most of the renovation works at the temple. Indra Bajracharya (in red jacket) from Bhinchhebahaa, Patan is not associated with Janabahaa Dyo, but was the lead technician in the repair works, drawing from his vast experience of working with similar projects earlier.

Children of Karunamaya III

Today, we are faced with the challenge of uncontrolled cramming up of the core areas of Kathmandu with population overflow from all over the country, and from neighboring India as well. Janabahaa is no exception. Despite that, this holy courtyard remains a favorite recreational area for children from the entire neighborhood. The clutter of stupas in the courtyard does not seem to bother them -- in fact, it helps make a perfect hide-and-seek playground.

This is a sequel to earlier posts Children of Karunamaya and Children of Karunamaya II on this blog.

Photos by Alok Tulahdar.

Faces V

Janabahaa is a heaven for people watchers. It is relatively calm, though there is plenty going on. People are hectically engaged either in commerce, or in trying to take control of their karma. Or they are just chilling out.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Faces IV

Here are some fervent believers who frequent Janabahaa these days, but might not do so for too long, for obvious reasons.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Minutes of Meeting, September 12 (re: Digi Chhen Design Review)

This meeting was called to further analyze the revised drawing (http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/revised.html) which was arrived at after the meeting of September 8, 2009 (http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/minutes-of-meeting-discussion-regarding.html).

All interested individuals and organizations are requested to provide their feedback, comments, criticism, suggestions, contributions and inputs of any kind no later than October 20, 2009 by commenting on this blog or by sending email to info@janabahaa.org.np to help in the decision making process in an efficient, all-encompassing manner.

Minutes (recorded by Umesh Tamrakar)

PROJECT TITLE	Janabaha Agam chen
Meeting title	Site meeting on modified plans
Date	12.09.09
Time	8.30am
Present	Mr. Tirtha Dhar Tuladhar
	Mr. Nil Kaji Shakya
	Mr. Bijay Shrestha
	Mr. Prem Ratna Bajracharya
	Ms. Rajani Tamrakar
	Mr. Dinesh Bajra Bajracharya
	Mr. Indra Raj Bajracharya
	Mr. Alok Tuladhar
	Mr. Jai Rajbhandari
	Mr. Umesh Kaji Tamrakar

SN			PARTICULARS	ACTION
1			Can Bhajan space be relocated? It was agreed that it can.
2			Bhajan space along with office space be combined as multipurpose space for Bhajan, information centre, display hall, meeting etc.	Umesh developing plans
3			One public pay toilet on the ground floor with access from outside and one on upper floors for Gurjus. May be keep the position of the public toilet in the ground floor as is in the drawing with access from Balkumari road.
4			Can Basement/ Semi basement be provided?	New by laws says yes
5			If the ht. permits (i.e not exceeding the ht. of the actual temple) can one more floor be added? As per by laws there is restriction to ht. 35’ for Preserved monument sub zone and 45’ for Cultural heritage sub-zone. For buildings in Preserved monument sub zone maximum 4 storey each 8’ ht.	Ht. of temple is being measured by Graphic survey team on 13.09.09. Umesh to confirm whether this area lies in Preserved monument sub-zone or Cultural heritage sub-zone.
6			Can entrance be made narrower than 13’? Entrance was made smaller from around 16’ to 13’.

Revised!

This revised drawing incorporates all suggestions that came up in the meeting of September 8, 2009 (please see http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/minutes-of-meeting-discussion-regarding.html). Thanks to architect Umesh Tamrakar for updating the drawing.

Computerized!

Here is the engineering drawing of the Digi Chhen for its proposed reconstruction, converted to CAD format (digitized) by Umesh Tamrakar from the hand-drawn concept drawing of senior architect Bibhuti Man Singh (please see earlier posts at http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/minutes-of-meeting-discussion-regarding.html and http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/modern-architecture-is-spiritually-dead.html).

Faces III

Scores of families earn a livelihood out of Janabahaa. Any development work, including renovation, preservation, sanctification, etc. should not overlook that fact. The need to strike a balance between change and impact is inescapable. Here are some faces of people who depend upon Janabahaa for their very survival.

After all, Janabahaa Dyo (or Karunamaya) is all about compassion, isn't it?

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

"Modern architecture is spiritually dead." - Bibhuti Man Singh

His bio reads like this: "still trying to confirm some inner certainties about architecture: hopelessly romantic, incurably impractical."

Sounds familiar? Yes, that is our own Bibhuti Man Singh, who graduated from the West Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore in 1972. He completed his Post Graduate training through a JICA sponsored program. He is the Chief Architect of Kathmandu-based architecture firm Technical Interface and the Former president of the Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA). Some the projects he worked on include the Park Village Resort at Budhanilkantha, Club Himalaya at Nagarkot, Himalayan Pavilion in Hanover Expo 2000, etc.

His most recent endeavor is the conceptualization of the Digi Chhen for its proposed reconstruction (please see http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/minutes-of-meeting-discussion-regarding.html). His preliminary proposal for the Digi Chen reconstruction will ultimately feature the following:

1. A revival of the classical composition that existed before the fire.
2. A more streamlined composition of functional spaces on each floor.
3. A visitor-friendly depiction of popular imagery on the facade.
4. Fixtures & finishes more in line with contemporary sensitivities.
5. Repair & reuse of existing artifacts & materials (adaptive reuse).

He also believes in fully documenting the whole process of creating the new design for the Digi Chhen as it unfolds over the coming months in a transparent and inclusive manner with the aim of incorporating all conflicting or competing interests or perspectives into the final design.

You can read some of his published interviews at http://www.ecs.com.np/archive/oct_06/article_2.htm and http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishmonthly/businessage/2000/Jan/cover.htm.

If you have any questions for him, please feel free to put up them up as a comment to this post together with your email address, and they will be forwarded to him.

Standing 53.64173228346457 feet tall

Remember all the high-tech stuff going on at Janabhaa the other day (http://janabahaa.blogspot.com/2009/09/focusing-on-digi-chhen.html)? Well, the result of that survey is out, and the height of the main Janabhaa Dyo temple is officially declared as 53.64173228346457 feet (16.35 meters). Thanks again to Achyut Bajracharya and team from Graphic Survey & Design Consult for conducting this very important task so efficiently.
 

Ownership obtained, officially!

No one knows when the Digi Chhen was built, or who build it. Though it has been used all along as a community center, it was not clear who the actual owner of the property was. But that changed forever on July 21, 2009, when the government issued the official land ownership certificate (or lalpurja) to "Shree Seto Machhindra Nathko Aagan Ghar (Digi Agamchhen)." This herculean feat was made possible because of the efforts of the local community -- the different groups of people who use the building in various ways.

Faces II

When this infrequent visitor showed up at Janabahaa out of the blue, it caused quite a commotion, disturbing the tranquility for a while. Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Minutes of Meeting, September 8 (re: Digi Chhen)

 

Conceptual drawing of front façade of Digi Chen for its proposed reconstruction. Drawing by senior architect Bibhuti Man Singh.

Proposed conceptual floor plan drawings for the ground, first and second floors of the Digi Chen. All drawings by senior architect Bibhuti Man Singh.

 Meeting held on September 8, 2009 to analyze the conceptual drawings shown above.

Minutes (Recorded by Umesh Tamrakar)

PROJECT TITLE	Janabaha Agam chen
Meeting title	Site meeting
Date	08.09.09
Time	8.30am
Present	Ananda Shakya, Thakuli
	Ratna Harsha Shakya
	Devananda Shakya
	Kanak Shakya
	Nil Kaji Shakya
	Swayambhu Bajracharya
	Mindu Bajracharya
	Dharma Shakya
	Suresh Bajracharya
	Pushpa Shakya
	Buddha Ratna Shakya
	Prem Ratna Shakya
	Nabin Shakya
	Dipankar Shakya
	Mr. Tirtha Dhar Tuladhar
	Mr. Manik Tuladhar
	Jai Rajbhandari
	Mr. Alok Tuladhar
	Rajani Tamrakar
	Mr. Umesh Kaji Tamrakar

SN	PARTICULARS	ACTION
1	GROUND FLOOR
1.1	‘Kopa dyo chen’ room size to increase
1.2	Kitchen to accommodate 12-15 psn, preparation space required
1.3	‘Bhajan’ room size to be increased 12-15 psn, can be relocated to the left of entrance
1.4	Toilet required
1.5	Bai dyo space needs to be used as office space as well
1.6	Existing ‘Mahankal dyo’ to be placed against the wall so that it can be seen from the road
1.7	Entrance can be slightly reduced in width if space is limited for ‘Bhajan’ and Kitchen
1.8	Internal decorative columns were advised to be removed as it might cause obstruction
2	FIRST FLOOR
2.1	‘Agam dyo’ needs privacy so access from the east through the middle room suggested rather than from the verandah in the west where it opens up to the courtyard.
2.2	Verandah space to be included in the room – gurjus to have direct view from the rooms to the main deity
2.3	‘Agam dyo’ room size to be increased by removing store
3	SECOND FLOOR
3.1	Verandah to be included in the hall/ store thereby increasing the hall/ store size
3.2	Store to be relocated near the stair with access from the hall
4	ELEVATION
4.1	Gurjus suggested in the reconstruction of elevation that existed before 1972 fire

The minutes and conceptual drawings have been posted in this public blog site during this planning phase with the objective of providing transparency and inclusiveness in the decision-making process. Those of you who are unable to attend the meeting physically may criticize the concepts and suggestions that have developed so far via this blog or by email (info@janabahaa.org.np) and your comments will be given due importance. Totally original thoughts and proposals are also very welcome at this time. Photos by Alok Tuladhar.