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.

Focusing on the Digi Chhen

The Agam Chhen or Digi Chhen is the multipurpose public building on the eastern face of Janabahaa, and houses the main entrance and passageway to the bahaa complex. It was completely burnt down in a fire in 1917 AD, and was rebuilt with an European-style façade, in which form it stands today.

Achyut Bajracharya and team from Graphic Survey & Design Consult measure the height of the main temple. It is believed that all buildings around the bahaa should be less than the main temple in height.

The next major undertaking at Janabahaa will be to reconstruct this building from the ground up, with a typical Newaa portico. Given the limited space available, accommodating all the functions of this building is probably the most challenging part, as it includes the following known functions:
1. Main entrance and passage to the bahaa
2. Kwa Paa Dyo (resident deity of the bahaa)
3. Kitchen for the dyo pala (caretaker priest)
4. Agam Chhen, a sacred shrine where highly private religious rituals are carried out by the Uraya and Barey castes.
5. Bhajan
6. Bahi Dyo
7. Shops
8. Bhoe Chhen (party venue) for religious and cultural functions
9. Office and reception
10. Educational venue (e.g., Teaching of Gunla Bajan for about one month every year)
11. Community meeting place
12. Storage

Individuals and organizations who are concerned with Janabahaa and the activities that take place at the Digi Chhen are meeting at least once a week to brainstorm on how to come up with the best design for the building that will meet all of the functions as well as meet aesthetic values and modern architectural principles.

 

Digi Chhen from the outside (top) and inside (above) as it looks now.

Veteran architects Bibhuti Man Singh (former president of Society of Nepalese Architects) and Manik Tuladhar (former Assistant Dean of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Engineering), along with architect Umesh Tamrakar are providing their expertise to these discussions with great vigor and unsurpassed vision.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Faces

People come to Janabahaa for a myriad of reasons. Here are some faces that you see in Janabahaa over the course of a typical day.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

The Best Adhesive in the World

Jai Rajbhandari, a devoted soul who has never missed an opportunity to show up at Janabahaa for the littlest of excuses since the time he became the master of his own conscience, says that the combination of epoxy resin and epoxy hardener makes the strongest glue in the world.

Jai Rajbhandari in a pensive mood during one of the many planning meetings at Janabahaa.

Jai must be right. After all, he is a chemical engineer trained in UK and Hungary, and is an avid environmentalist. Originating from the heart of Asan, he is also the owner of half a dozen varied businesses – and a highly successful one at that – including one that promotes green energy to help reduce the cost of everyday life for every household in the country.

The stone craftsmen from Chovaa blend the resin and hardener, purchased in the local market, in a predefined proportion, and apply a thin film of the mixture to the stone surface that needs repair. And then they add hand-crushed stone dust to the epoxy mix and give it a good whipping to make a fine dough. The dough is then carefully spread on top of the epoxy coating applied earlier.

Several hours later, after the dough attains the right hardening, the expert craftsmen chisel thorough it to try and bring back the centuries-old original shape of the cheevah (chaitya or stupa or chorten) before it deteriorated to the present form due to gross disregard, carelessness and even misconduct by the people who were supposed to be the very sentinels of these priceless treasures.

A video that aims to be the tutorial on “how to repair a Buddhist cheevah in two weeks” will be uploaded right here on this blog soon.

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.