streetsnsquares: Water spouts at the heart of the public realm

You only have to wander a little outside, the UNESCO enlisted core areas, and if you are game enough to tackle, the dirt, a sea of people, the usually crazy motorinis (scootys) and traffic madness that follows it everywhere, and yes - those pesky street hawkers trying to sell you the best beads and the funkiest laughing Buddha you've ever seen - you are in for a treat! There is a lot to discover and encounter at every nook and corner. One such marvel is the ancient water conduits or dhungedharas of the city. While their numbers have reduced drastically over the years, their relevance and importance is clearly visible at those places where they still function. Public spaces of any city is invariably shaped by a host of factors - including various socio-cultural elements, which ultimately give shape to those unique places that are true to the culture that they belong to and therefore thrive in. Nepali dhungedharas are typologically similar to the step-well of India, and are usually constructed in a series of terraces of diminishing size (reverse of a typical pagoda temple). Typically the water spout at the lowest level is accessed via a stairway that leads to the stone paved (or brick in some cases) floor or the conduit basin. The number of water spouts may vary from one, three, five or more(very rare).

Location of traditional water conduits(sunken) in Kathmandu's historic core

Some of them no longer exist

Maruhiti, 2013

Dhungedhara at Bhimsensthan, 2013

TBD @ Bhimsenthan, 2013

Kohiti, Jaisideval - Kathmandu, 2013

Chi-baha at Kohiti , 2013

Pati(Public Resthouse) at Kohiti, 2013

Once an essential part of the water supply system of Kathmandu's historic core, it still serves the population today but like much of the history of this place, is inevitably intertwined with various myths and legends. Of the lot identified, some of these marvels have already been lost to the perils of modernization, encroachment or lack of proper care while some remain in memories of those people who knew the city much more intimately than any one of us can do today. A few are on the verge of being lost, some have been relegated to the confines of the National Museum at Chauni while others still defy rationale(Kohiti - more on that in another post). This looks at some of those Dhungedharas (water conduits) scattered throughout the historic core of Kathmandu city and what forms an integral element of the public realm of the city, its history and therefore intrinsically with everyday life. Speaking of which, it is no coincidence that we find most of these dhungedharas next to either an important temple or to a public rest house (dharmashala), truly making it an essential urban element.

Based on available inscriptions, water conduits of Kathmandu are believed to date back to the Lichhavi period (ca. 300-869 AD) and were an integral element of water supply to the ancient city. Inevitably, located within a chowk or bazaar adorned with temples and public rest-houses, the importance of these elements to the public realm cannot be stressed more. Primarily constructed using stone, water is brought to the dhara or hiti or spout through an underground channel lined with specially made ceramic tiles usually connected to a pond or rajkulo (water supply source). Ground water and canals are also usually considered as alternate sources of water. Usually, the most ornate element in a dhungedhara (water conduit) is the spout itself, which is normally a cantilevered spout made of stone or metals, bearing the form of the mythological creature Makara. One of the earliest written references to the construction of water spouts inside the valley, is the mention of a fountain at Hadigaon by Mandeva's grandson in 550 AD. The oldest surviving water fountain however is the Mangahiti at Patan Durbar Square which dates back to 570 AD. In contrast, the last of its kind to have been constructed in the valley is the fountain at Sundhara, which coincidentally also happens to be the largest one - and was constructed in 1829 AD. Of the two, Sundhara has been rendered useless by time, negligence and nearby construction. Bhotahity no longer exists because it was brought down during the construction of the subway.

While looking for information on the exact number of Hitis (stone spouts) I came across an article recently that had been published in the Himalayan Times earlier in the year (2011-02-05) titled, Stone spouts at the mercy of ruthless urbanization plans, according to which there were 165 water stone spouts in Kathmandu, 61 in Lalitpur, 87 in Bhaktapur, 65 in Madhyapur Thimi and 11 in Kirtipur of which 34 in Kathmandu, 7 in Lalitpur, 3 in Madhyapur Thimi and one each in Bhaktapur and Kirtipur have already disappeared. It went to say that out of those existing numbers, 34 in Kathmandu, 18 in Bhaktapur, nine in Mahdyapur Thimi and seven in Lalitpur are under threat. Interestingly, 35 in Bhaktapur, six in Kathmandu and two in Madhyapur Thimi have been brought under the city supply line. I need to verify these numbers from a different source. Irrespective of the actual numbers, these changes not only show a change in cultural patterns but also reflect a change in the use and nature of public spaces and therefore a transition of the city from what it was to something else, whether that's a good thing or not is certainly debatable.