The art of wood carving has been a pride of Nepal. Woodwork is one of the traditional architecture of Nepal. Since the 12th century, wood carvings have graced monasteries, temples, palaces and residential homes. The Indresvara Mahadev temples in Panauti near Banepa, Kasthamandapa near Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu are the wooden monuments of traditional architectural sites. According to history, the Kasthamandapa was built from a single log of wood. Many documentaries have mentioned the woodwork of Lichchhavi period (300-879 AD), although there is no evidence or monuments reflecting this period. A Chinese traveler Wang Hsuan Tsang 643 AD mentioned in his travel log of the beautiful woodcrafts, wooded sculptures and decorations used by the Lichchhavi.
Wood has been traditionally the main building material throughout the country. It was only natural that the heavy wooden framework, which forms the essential part of the structure, and the beams, struts, pillars and entablatures forming an ingenious system of load distribution and roof support, should be used for ornamentation. The available surfaces of wood, including doors, windows, cornices, brackets and lintels were beautifully shaped, formed and lavishly carved in obscure patterns of geometrical, floral, human and animal forms.
Woodcarving has been an integral part of Nepalese architecture, some of the examples being the old royal palaces of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur and a number of different Viharas (monasteries) around the valley. Today, Nepalese woodcarving has gained popularity internationally. Besides decorating many individual residences, it has been central to architecture and buildings known to the world.
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