Body
(Re)colonizing Tradition
A Pedestrian Guide to a "Traditional" City
Welcome to Bhaktapur
[1] The Tea Stall at Guhepukhu
[2] Nava Durga Chitra Mandir
[3] Khauma Square
[4] Tourist Motor Park
[5] Indrani Pitha
[6]Lasku Dhwakha Gate
[7]Char Dham
[8]Cafe de Temple
[9]Batsala Temple
[10] Batsala Temple
[11] City Hall
[12] The Procession Route
[13] Pujari Math
[14] The Peacock Restaurant
[15] Sewage Collection Ponds
[16] Bhairavanath Temple
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A Laboratory For Hyper-Development
Since the 1950s, Nepal has been a laboratory for hyper-development. Bhaktapur was seen as perfect for this because, as the Bhaktapur Town Development Plan reads:
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Bhaktapur is regarded as unhygienic, lacking in modern urban attractions and economically backward. At the same time, Bhaktapur is an extraordinary example of an untouched, traditional Newar town with many fine buildings of architectural value and a style of life that is steeped in tradition and has remained almost undisturbed by the forces of cultural interaction and modernization so visible in the other towns of the valley (1979, vii).
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In other words, Bhaktapur was the perfect space for development. In Non-Governmental Organizations in Nepal, Bishwa Maskay defines development
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This understanding stems from the United States global politics after World War II. In his 20 January 1949 speech, which initiated the Truman Doctrine and ushered in a new understanding of how world affairs should be managed, Harry Truman announced a worldwide program of development based on the concepts of democratic fair dealing . . . Greater production is the key to prosperity and peace. And the key to greater production is a wider and more vigorous application of modern scientific and technical knowledge.
  
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Maps
Mandala Map
Tourist Map
Government
Map
Pedestrian
Tour Map
Bhaktapur
Durbar Square
Tacapa Map
Satellite
Photograph
Kathmandu
Valley
Goddesses
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