Ask anyone in Kathmandu to point out the city's most famous tower, and they'll gesture toward Dharahara — a slender tower (nine storeys in its original form) that has watched over the capital, in one form or another, for nearly two centuries. Its story is really two stories: the original tower, and the new one that replaced it after the 2015 earthquake.
Origins Under Bhimsen Thapa
Dharahara was built in the 1830s (1832 is the date usually given) on the orders of Bhimsen Thapa, then the powerful prime minister of Nepal, which is why the tower is also widely known as Bhimsen Tower. It was commissioned at the request of Queen Lalit Tripura Sundari and was a landmark with sweeping views across the Kathmandu Valley from its upper platform. Bhimsen Thapa had built an earlier tower in 1824 at Janarala Bagh, which was torn in half by the 1834 earthquake and never rebuilt.
The tower survived until the great earthquake of 15 January 1934, which left only part of it standing. Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher then had it renovated, and it went on to become a popular viewpoint for visitors and locals alike.
The 2015 Earthquake and Reconstruction
Before and after 2015
A 19th-century landmark and viewing platform, open to the public and central to Kathmandu's skyline.
Destroyed in the Gorkha earthquake, then replaced by a new, taller tower beside the original site, with a museum and viewing balcony.
On 25 April 2015, the magnitude 7.8 Gorkha earthquake struck central Nepal, and Dharahara was among its most visible casualties: the tower collapsed, killing dozens of people who were inside or nearby (reports of the toll at the tower range from more than 50 to about 180), and the disaster became one of the defining images of the earthquake's toll on Kathmandu's heritage sites.
The government subsequently built a new Dharahara beside the rubble of the original. Inaugurated on 24 April 2021, the new white tower is about 84 metres tall and 23 storeys high, with lifts to its viewing balcony and an underground museum about the 2015 earthquake.
Symbolic Significance
Beyond its architectural and historical value, Dharahara has come to represent Kathmandu's resilience — a monument that fell during the country's worst natural disaster in decades and was rebuilt as a statement of recovery. It remains one of the most photographed landmarks in the Kathmandu Valley and a fixture on the city's skyline, alongside other heritage sites in the valley's Durbar Squares.
✦ Did you know?
- Dharahara had a predecessor: Bhimsen Thapa's first tower, built in 1824, was torn in half by the 1834 earthquake and never rebuilt.
- The 1934 earthquake that damaged Dharahara is remembered in Nepal through Earthquake Safety Day, observed each year on 2 Magh (about 15 January).
Dharahara Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1824 | Bhimsen Thapa's first tower built at Janarala Bagh |
| 1830s | Dharahara built under Bhimsen Thapa (1832 usually cited); the first tower is torn in half by the 1834 earthquake |
| 1934 | Great earthquake leaves Dharahara largely destroyed; later renovated |
| 2015 | Tower collapses in the Gorkha earthquake |
| 2018–2021 | New tower built by the government beside the original site |
| 2021 | New Dharahara inaugurated, 24 April |
Source: Government of Nepal earthquake reconstruction records; Kathmandu Metropolitan City
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the national monument of Nepal?
Dharahara, a tower in Kathmandu (nine storeys originally, 23 in the rebuilt one) also known as Bhimsen Tower, is widely regarded as a national monument of Nepal and one of the country's most recognisable landmarks.
Who built Dharahara and when?
Dharahara was built in the 1830s (1832 is the date usually given) under the orders of Bhimsen Thapa, then prime minister of Nepal, giving the tower its alternate name, Bhimsen Tower.
Did Dharahara collapse in an earthquake?
Yes. The tower that stood until 2015 collapsed during the devastating Gorkha earthquake of April 25, 2015. Dozens of people died at the tower; reports range from more than 50 to about 180.
Has Dharahara been rebuilt?
Yes, in effect. The government built a new Dharahara beside the original site in Kathmandu, inaugurated on 24 April 2021, with a museum and a viewing balcony reached by lift.
How tall is Dharahara?
The original Dharahara is usually given as roughly 62 metres tall (sources vary), with 213 steps to the top. The new tower is much taller, at about 84 metres and 23 storeys.
Where is Dharahara located?
Dharahara is at Sundhara in Kathmandu.
What is another name for Dharahara?
Dharahara is also known as Bhimsen Tower, after Bhimsen Thapa, under whom it was built.