If you have read the review of Baber Mahal Revisited in the main issue this week, you might be interested in finding out a bit more about Rana architecture, sometimes referred to as ‘white elephants’. First of all, who were the Ranas? The name ‘Rana’ came about when Bir Narsingh Kun­war was given the name Shree Teen Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana by the then prime minister, his uncle. The uncle whom Jung Baha­dur then assassinated at what turned out to be the bloody Kot Massacre. Yes, there is a bit of controversy sur­rounding the Rana dynasty! In fact many people believe it had a negative impact on the country—its founding being the Kot Massacre in 1846; the reduction of the Shah monarchy to a figurehead, and the making of the position of prime min­ister and other government posts hereditary. But others believe there are benefits—the establishment of Durbar High School and Bir Hospital for example. The Ranas ruled Nepal from 1846 until 1951, so the history is still within living memory of many.

Meantime, during the Rana reign a number of grand residencies were built by high-ranking dignitaries. These palaces stood in the middle of large landscaped grounds, and are still easily recognizable as they are commonly plastered white and built in the Neoclassical or Baroque European architectural style: four wings with French windows, Gre­cian columns and large courtyards. Things from the West were becom­ing synonymous with ‘modern’ and the grandeur of palaces in Europe caught this ruling classes’ eye.

Sadly, out of the 38 or so palaces built during the Rana dynasty, a large number have fallen into dis­repair. After the fall of the Ranas, many palaces were taken over by the government or came into pri­vate ownership. Today some palaces have been restored, or converted for other uses. The rest have been destroyed or lie in ruins.

Rana architects

So who exactly built these palac­es? In fact, the majority of the Rana palaces were built (more correctly, commissioned) by the same people. Here are just a few of them to be getting on with:

Jung Bahadur Rana (1817-1877): The founder of the Rana dynas­ty himself commissioned several palaces, including the Thapathali Durbar, Singha Mahal, and Char­burja Durbar, all found within the (earlier) Thapathali complex. The designer/engineer he employed was Ranasur Bista, who was among the pioneer master masons in introduc­ing European building style with tra­ditional Vastu Shastra (Hindu style of architecture).

Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1852-1901): The 11th prime minister of Nepal, as well as starting a new line of succession prime min­isters, made reforms and infrastruc­ture improvements, such as estab­lishing Bir Hospital and Bir Tower, among other famous institutions. As for the Rana palaces, at the end of the 1800s he commissioned 12, including Narayanhiti Durbar, the home to the Royal Family until the current Narayanhiti Durbar was built by King Mahendra in 1963.

Among others he built, Lal Durbar, which is today the Yak and Yeti Hotel; Pani Pokhari Durbar; Pho­hora Durbar, and Lazimpat Durbar (which was demolished and rebuilt, later becoming the Shankar Hotel). His engineer/ designer was Jogbir Sthapit, a renowned Nepalese archi­tect, master of both Western and traditional Nepali styles. And best known as the designer of (the ear­lier) Narayanhiti Royal Palace, and renovator of Swayambhunath Stupa.

Chandra Shumsher Jung Baha­dur Rana (1863 -1929): He is cred­ited with commissioning seven Rana palaces, including the original Baber Mahal. Other notable palaces are Singha Durbar, home to the seat of the government, and Kaiser Mahal, housing the Garden of Dreams. Kumar Narsingh Rana, the first Nepali to qualify as a civil engineer, and his brother Kishor Narsingh Rana, were the architects/engineers.

Want to know more? I am certainly no expert on Rana architecture, and cannot vouch 100 percent for the accuracy of the information here. However, there are several books on the Rana dynasty, if you wish to know more. Among them is ‘Singha Durbar: The Rise and Fall of the Rana Regime of Nepal’, by Sagar S.J.B Rana, published by Rupa, New Delhi in 2017.