Kathmandu: What the 2015 earthquake destroyed

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The Dharahara tower, built in 1832: a historical photograph

Left: The Dharahara tower before its collapse. Right: The tower as it stood immediately after the earthquake of Apr 25, 2015

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

Dharahara tower

Nepal's historic tower

PTI | Apr 25, 2015

The nine-storey, 50.5-metre-high Dharahara tower was built in the heart of the capital in 1832 by the then prime minister of Nepal Bhimsen Thapa. The tower was white, topped with a bronze minaret and contained a spiral staircase of over 200 steps. It was a major tourist attraction in the heart of the capital. Tourists were charged a small fee to climb the steps to the viewing deck. The architecture of the tower was designed in a fusion of the Mughal and European style. A small statue of Lord Shiva was placed on the top of the tower.

However, on 25 April 2015, the historic tower was reduced to just its base after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Nepal, destroying the minaret and trapping hundreds of weekend visitors under its debris.