Basic construction materials used in all
types of building were timber, brick, clay mortar, clay tiles,
stone, and metals such as brass, copper, and iron.
Strong building materials
like lime, sand, glass were unknown in Nepal during those times. Hence the buildings were
very weak in structure. Many of the ancient structures couldn’t
resist the great earthquake in 1937 and they were badly damaged.
Wood
Wood was abundant in Nepal. Almost one third of the country was
covered by a heavy rain forest and therefore timber was the most
popular and lavishly used building material. It was used for all the
structural parts of the building such as the roof frames, floor,
columns, beams, lintels, doors, and windows. The most common timber
was from Sal trees, found only in subtropical countries. This wood is dark in color and strong enough to
withstand centuries of weathering without doing much seasoning or
painting. Later on painted woodwork became very popular, and the
woodcarvings were painted with gaudy colors.
Brick and clay mortar
Except for some stone temples, brick and mud mortar was the only
building material used for the construction of the superstructures and
plinths. Sun dried or firebricks were used. Since these structures
were load bearing, very heavy and thick walls were required on first
floor, with progressively decreasing wall thickness on the upper
floor.
Special types of oil-glazed bricks,
called Telia Inta, were often used for the façade work. They were put
on top of the original wall, to increase the durability and the
aesthetics of the structure. These bricks are trapezoid in shape for
hiding the clay mortar within, so that the mortar is not easily washed
away. Square flat types of oil-glazed bricks are used for paving
plinths and inner courtyards.
Stone
only a few
temples were built entirely of stome, however, stone was used to make
special features in all of the temples.stones were mostly used to make sculptures of
the deities and the guardians that are kept on the sides of the doors
and steps. Sometimes stone was used for lintels, plinths, stairs, and the foundation.
Metal
Iron, brass, and copper were the common types of metal used for
the construction. Metals were mainly used to make bells,
pinnacles and other ornamentation to the building rather than for
structural purpose. In some temples, metal sheets are used for
roof
coverings and to highlight doorways
.
Construction