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Papers by Sushmita Shrestha

International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development, Jun 15, 2014

Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing thei... more Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing their religious activities freely only after enactment of new civil code in 1963. This paper aims to explore the potentials and problems on the existing mosques, perception of the religious structures by Muslim community and analysing of existing legal and institutional framework before drawing a conclusion. The research methodology consists of combination of field visit and collection of detailed information, structured questionnaire survey and consultation with local leaders and municipal staffs. Detailed analysis of 'Jame Masjid' in Kathmandu and another 'Masjid' at Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur reveals that these mosques have become the centre of practising Islamic culture, promoting brotherhood among Muslim communities, learning place of Islamic education, besides their sentimental attachment. Social harmony between Muslims and other religious communities together with coexistence of mosques and 'madrasa' with Hindu religious structures in the same vicinity has presented a unique situation. However, inadequate information, low level of awareness among the mosque visitors and above all lack of government's specific plans and policies have hampered the conservation and development of mosque architectural and Islamic culture. To reverse this trend, development of mosques as Islamic cultural and community development centre, incorporation of salient features of Islamic culture into local planning and building codes as well as in school syllabus and networking with domestic and international organisations working for local development is suggested.

International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Jun 9, 2014

International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Jun 9, 2014

Towards an Integration of Engineering, Design and Management Approaches, 2008

Towards an Integration of Engineering, Design and Management Approaches, 2008

Located 10 km south of the capital Kathmandu, Bungamati is an ancient 7th century 'newari' settle... more Located 10 km south of the capital Kathmandu, Bungamati is an ancient 7th century 'newari' settlement enriched by the natural resources, compact built form and Hindu and Buddhist sociocultural values. It is believed that 100 people from each principal cities of the Kathmandu Valley -Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur -were brought into this area at the time of King Narendradeva and housed them around 'Machendranath' [Bunga-dyo] in three different directions with construction of three artificial ponds corresponding to each community. Surrounded by different rivers and streams from all four directions, the town is condensed within an area of 4.03 sq. km with total population of only 5,667 in 2001. The first six wards on the sloped land accommodating 3,715 populations [65.55% of total population] of original inhabitants 'newars' represent the ancient settlement of Bungamati. In the whole settlement, the Machendra Bahal is the singular most important entity, as it is the biggest enclosed courtyard comprising of both Buddhist [Machendranath] and Hindu deities [Hayagriva Bhairav]. Moreover, its cultural infrastructure is not limited to the temples and shrines but also many other public amenities such as public rest place [pati], sunken water spout [dhunge dhara], god house [dyo chhen] and so on. However, these cultural resources are being gradually degraded. The situation has further worsened due to little efforts from the concerned public agencies as well as by the local community towards the conservation of the town. As a result, not only the physical structures but also the collective memory and shared values on the 'Bahal' are under threat. If no action is initiated immediately, the fate of the town in general and the 'Bahal' in particular will be that of other destructed towns of the Kathmandu Valley. Against such background, this project aims to prepare the conservation and management plan for the 'Machendra Bahal' within the framework of collective memory and shared value of communities of Bungamati with the followings objectives.

Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing thei... more Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing their religious activities freely only after enactment of new civil code in 1963. This paper aims to explore the potentials and problems on the existing mosques, perception of the religious structures by Muslim community and analysing of existing legal and institutional framework before drawing a conclusion. The research methodology consists of combination of field visit and collection of detailed information, structured questionnaire survey and consultation with local leaders and municipal staffs. Detailed analysis of 'Jame Masjid' in Kathmandu and another 'Masjid' at Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur reveals that these mosques have become the centre of practising Islamic culture, promoting brotherhood among Muslim communities, learning place of Islamic education, besides their sentimental attachment. Social harmony between Muslims and other religious communities together with coexistence of mosques and 'madrasa' with Hindu religious structures in the same vicinity has presented a unique situation. However, inadequate information, low level of awareness among the mosque visitors and above all lack of government's specific plans and policies have hampered the conservation and development of mosque architectural and Islamic culture. To reverse this trend, development of mosques as Islamic cultural and community development centre, incorporation of salient features of Islamic culture into local planning and building codes as well as in school syllabus and networking with domestic and international organisations working for local development is suggested.

The social fabrics and traditional building stocks in the historic core of Kathmandu in the past ... more The social fabrics and traditional building stocks in the historic core of Kathmandu in the past were not only cultural and climatic responsive but also balanced the building stocks with infrastructure capacity. However, haphazard transformation of old houses at two fronts -replacement of 3-4 storey residential houses by 6-7 commercial use [or mixed use] with modern reinforced cement concrete structures -has not only destroyed the community bonds and cultural spaces in the neighbourhoods [and the town] but also reduced the thermal comfort inside the buildings. Moreover, such changes without improving the infrastructural capacity have also generated a new set of urban problems of environmental degradation, traffic congestion and exposition of higher percentage of people under seismic risk including destruction of unique townscape. The existing legislation is inadequate and ineffective whereas the concerned agencies are little concern with culture and climatic issues in building transformation. To reverse this trend, vertical division of the traditional houses should be discouraged whereas culture and climatic responsive renovation and new construction works in the historic core area should be promoted through formulation of urban design guidelines and provision of numerous incentives. Such practice should be disseminated to architectural colleges, private practitioners and those working in real estate and building industry. Last but not the least, public education and community awareness on culture and climate responsive planning, design and construction is recommended.

International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development, Jun 15, 2014

Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing thei... more Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing their religious activities freely only after enactment of new civil code in 1963. This paper aims to explore the potentials and problems on the existing mosques, perception of the religious structures by Muslim community and analysing of existing legal and institutional framework before drawing a conclusion. The research methodology consists of combination of field visit and collection of detailed information, structured questionnaire survey and consultation with local leaders and municipal staffs. Detailed analysis of 'Jame Masjid' in Kathmandu and another 'Masjid' at Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur reveals that these mosques have become the centre of practising Islamic culture, promoting brotherhood among Muslim communities, learning place of Islamic education, besides their sentimental attachment. Social harmony between Muslims and other religious communities together with coexistence of mosques and 'madrasa' with Hindu religious structures in the same vicinity has presented a unique situation. However, inadequate information, low level of awareness among the mosque visitors and above all lack of government's specific plans and policies have hampered the conservation and development of mosque architectural and Islamic culture. To reverse this trend, development of mosques as Islamic cultural and community development centre, incorporation of salient features of Islamic culture into local planning and building codes as well as in school syllabus and networking with domestic and international organisations working for local development is suggested.

International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Jun 9, 2014

International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Jun 9, 2014

Towards an Integration of Engineering, Design and Management Approaches, 2008

Towards an Integration of Engineering, Design and Management Approaches, 2008

Located 10 km south of the capital Kathmandu, Bungamati is an ancient 7th century 'newari' settle... more Located 10 km south of the capital Kathmandu, Bungamati is an ancient 7th century 'newari' settlement enriched by the natural resources, compact built form and Hindu and Buddhist sociocultural values. It is believed that 100 people from each principal cities of the Kathmandu Valley -Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur -were brought into this area at the time of King Narendradeva and housed them around 'Machendranath' [Bunga-dyo] in three different directions with construction of three artificial ponds corresponding to each community. Surrounded by different rivers and streams from all four directions, the town is condensed within an area of 4.03 sq. km with total population of only 5,667 in 2001. The first six wards on the sloped land accommodating 3,715 populations [65.55% of total population] of original inhabitants 'newars' represent the ancient settlement of Bungamati. In the whole settlement, the Machendra Bahal is the singular most important entity, as it is the biggest enclosed courtyard comprising of both Buddhist [Machendranath] and Hindu deities [Hayagriva Bhairav]. Moreover, its cultural infrastructure is not limited to the temples and shrines but also many other public amenities such as public rest place [pati], sunken water spout [dhunge dhara], god house [dyo chhen] and so on. However, these cultural resources are being gradually degraded. The situation has further worsened due to little efforts from the concerned public agencies as well as by the local community towards the conservation of the town. As a result, not only the physical structures but also the collective memory and shared values on the 'Bahal' are under threat. If no action is initiated immediately, the fate of the town in general and the 'Bahal' in particular will be that of other destructed towns of the Kathmandu Valley. Against such background, this project aims to prepare the conservation and management plan for the 'Machendra Bahal' within the framework of collective memory and shared value of communities of Bungamati with the followings objectives.

Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing thei... more Though Muslims have been living in Nepal from the 15th century, they have started practicing their religious activities freely only after enactment of new civil code in 1963. This paper aims to explore the potentials and problems on the existing mosques, perception of the religious structures by Muslim community and analysing of existing legal and institutional framework before drawing a conclusion. The research methodology consists of combination of field visit and collection of detailed information, structured questionnaire survey and consultation with local leaders and municipal staffs. Detailed analysis of 'Jame Masjid' in Kathmandu and another 'Masjid' at Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur reveals that these mosques have become the centre of practising Islamic culture, promoting brotherhood among Muslim communities, learning place of Islamic education, besides their sentimental attachment. Social harmony between Muslims and other religious communities together with coexistence of mosques and 'madrasa' with Hindu religious structures in the same vicinity has presented a unique situation. However, inadequate information, low level of awareness among the mosque visitors and above all lack of government's specific plans and policies have hampered the conservation and development of mosque architectural and Islamic culture. To reverse this trend, development of mosques as Islamic cultural and community development centre, incorporation of salient features of Islamic culture into local planning and building codes as well as in school syllabus and networking with domestic and international organisations working for local development is suggested.

The social fabrics and traditional building stocks in the historic core of Kathmandu in the past ... more The social fabrics and traditional building stocks in the historic core of Kathmandu in the past were not only cultural and climatic responsive but also balanced the building stocks with infrastructure capacity. However, haphazard transformation of old houses at two fronts -replacement of 3-4 storey residential houses by 6-7 commercial use [or mixed use] with modern reinforced cement concrete structures -has not only destroyed the community bonds and cultural spaces in the neighbourhoods [and the town] but also reduced the thermal comfort inside the buildings. Moreover, such changes without improving the infrastructural capacity have also generated a new set of urban problems of environmental degradation, traffic congestion and exposition of higher percentage of people under seismic risk including destruction of unique townscape. The existing legislation is inadequate and ineffective whereas the concerned agencies are little concern with culture and climatic issues in building transformation. To reverse this trend, vertical division of the traditional houses should be discouraged whereas culture and climatic responsive renovation and new construction works in the historic core area should be promoted through formulation of urban design guidelines and provision of numerous incentives. Such practice should be disseminated to architectural colleges, private practitioners and those working in real estate and building industry. Last but not the least, public education and community awareness on culture and climate responsive planning, design and construction is recommended.