 |
||
|
||
DWARIKA'S HOTEL |
|
||
|
||
DWARIKA'S HOTEL |
Mission Preservation A leading hotel in
Kathmandu is involved in the restoration and preservation of ancient woodcraft By SANJAYA DHAKAL One can be forgiven for mistaking the
sprawling building of Dwarika's Hotel for an ancient temple or a traditional durbar.
Located in the heart of the city, the hotel is a masterful blend of traditional culture,
architecture and modern tourism. The intricately designed and thoroughly Nepalese
buildings of the hotel prove that tourism can go hand in hand with the restoration of
culture. As envisioned by its founder, the late
Dwarika Das Shrestha, the hotel is a magnificent example of how Nepalese architecture
could be preserved amid the city's spreading concrete jungle. "We, at the Dwarika's, are profoundly
engaged in promoting the traditional artifacts and architects of this country," said
Steve Webster, sales and marketing consultant at the hotel. The hotel has a separate
workshop where carpenters and architects restore, renovate as well as replicate the old
wooden artifacts collected from the old buildings in the Kathmandu valley that are fast
getting replaced by modern ones.
Wooden pillars, windows, doors,
utensils and other items that are collected from old buildings and houses are given a new
lease of life at the workshop by specially trained carpenters and workers. "We have
about 40 carpenters working at our workshop. When we rescue such items, some of them have
pieces missing. To make new piece exactly like its original, we have to employ trained and
traditional carvers," said Webster. "At present, our focus is mainly on
renovation and restoration. But in future we will be concentrating more on
replication," said Webster, who believes the workshop is also helping in training
carpenters in ancient craft. The preservation of wooden artifacts began
after the late Dwarika Das Shrestha found how the country's traditional heritage was being
systematically destroyed. He was confronted with visible signs of the destruction of an
ancient culture. The legacy of Kathmandu comprises exquisite
wood carvings on its houses, distinctive temples and sculptures, bronze and terracotta
works, the unique lifestyle of the people and their colorful festivals derived from the
mythology of their religions. Less than half a century after Nepal was
opened to the outside world, its culture and art have become one of the main attractions
for tourists. What began as a personal drive was
institutionalized after the hotel was opened. The hotel's genesis, too, can be traced to
the same zeal. It was in 1964 that Dwarika decided to construct a totally Nepali-style
brick building with the wood carvings he collected. This was the nucleus out of which
later gradually grew the Dwarika's hotel and project. In 1978 he started the
"heritage workshop" where his carpenters would manufacture "missing
pieces", restore and renovate the ancient items. He also re-introduced the tapered glazed
bricks, the production of which had disappeared from the valley in the course of
modernization. The zeal of Dwarika, who died in 1992, has been ably continued by his wife
and daughter, who are at the helm of the heritage restoration project. Previously, the people at Dwarika's had to
go out themselves to look around for items of interest. They had to keep tabs on what
demolition was going and where. "But now mostly the people themselves approach us
with such ancient wooden items," said Webster. He said that although their main focus
has been on wooden items, Dwarika's is committed to preserve anything Nepali. The hotel has been utilizing the wooden
crafts it had possessed in the buildings of the hotel. "As we are constructing a
health club and spa, we will need more of these shortly. But after that, we will have to
explore how we can utilize the items," said Webster. According to him, Dwarika's not only wanted
to preserve but also to set an example for others. "We are happy that hotels like
Narayani, Hyatt ad other private residences have now started to make use of ancient crafts
and techniques." n |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
