CONSIDERATIONS ON THE LAYOUT PATTERN OF STREETS AND SETTLEMENT BLOCKS OF THIMI : A study on the planning modules of Kathmandu valley towns (Part I)

Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering

2004

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This study analyses the ground plans and frontage widths of selected residential quadrangles of the historic core of Patan and shows that the dwelling plots were divided according to a standard method that applied to varying sizes of the courtyard settlement blocks. The size of the plots and frontages is determined by the size of the open courtyards, and their layout follows the swastika pattern, an ancient symbol sacred to both Buddhist and Hindu traditions, and which the paper finds as one of the rational ways of division to get the uniform distribution of the plots within a courtyard system of settlement. The study further shows the relationship of this pattern of division and plot planning to the layout of Buddhist monastery architecture, indicating that the form of the monastery could have been the model to inspire the planning idea of the larger residential courtyard settlements of Patan.

Section: Acknowledgementsmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Methods Of Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Study on the Pattern of Plot Divisions of Courtyard Residential Blocks of Patan, Kathmandu Valley

Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering

2004

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“…Our attention to Taxila and to Mohenjodaro was drawn when the authors were seeking the possibility of existence of the planning features in the region that were discovered in an earlier study of Thimi, one of the ancient towns of Kathmandu Valley (Pant and Funo, 2003). It was an accidental finding that Taxila used similar measurements in the division of its urban blocks as that of Thimi.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Grid and Modular Measures in The Town Planning of Mohenjodaro and Kathmandu Valley

Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering

2005

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This paper studies the street and block plans of Mohenjodaro and Sirkap of Pakistan, and Thimi of Kathmandu Valley. Mohenjodaro was a reknowned city of Indus civilization, while Sirkap of Taxila, was an important cultural center in later half of first millennium BC. While both of the cities are archaeological remains, Thimi is still a living town. The three cities, apparently separated by enormous time span and geographic space, exhibit certain features that is striking to draw the attention of archaeologists and urban historians. This study finds that all the three settlements employ exactly the same grid dimension in making the division of urban blocks. The standard modules conform to 'danda' and 'rajju', which are stated in Arthasastra, the work of Kautilya who lived during the later quarter of 4 th century BC. This paper makes a morphological analysis of the revealed plans of Mohenjodaro, Sirkap and Thimi, and demonstrates a relationship in their town plan, the division of quarter blocks and the plot divisions as shown by the built clusters and street boundaries. This is the first direct evidence to link the urban civilization of Indus with the living settlements that continue to exist up to modern times.

CONSIDERATIONS ON MODULAR MEASURES IN THE LAYOUT OF COURTYARD SETTLEMENT QUARTERS OF PATAN CITY : A study on the planning modules of Kathmandu Valley towns (Part II)

2004

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