Kasthamandap (Sanskrit: काष्ठमण्डप, Nepal Bhasa:मरु सत: Maru Satta:; literally "Wood-Covered Shelter") is a reconstructed three-storied public shelter which was built by Lila Vajra. There is also a shrine consecrated to Gorakshanath situated at Maru, Kathmandu, Nepal.[1][2] Several myths and stories about the date of the construction of the Kasthamandap have been resolved with the recent archeological findings: newly discovered objects during the excavation in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake have suggested that the older Kasthamandap may have been built in the 7th century during the Lichhavi era.[3]
A team of international and national experts from the Department of Archaeology (DoA), Government of Nepal and Durham University had excavated beneath the Kasthamandap and found coal and sand in the foundations. The foundation soil, coal, and sand were taken to the University of Stirling, Scotland for carbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) tests. Nearly seven months of lab tests showed that the Kasthamandap was built in the 7th century, said Ram Kunwar, spokesperson at the Department of Archeology (DoA).[4]
Kasthamandap premises after earthquake in April 2015
During the excavations, copperplate inscriptions mentioning of Jayasthithi Malla, Jyotir Malla and Yogmati Bhattarika have been recovered from a pillar of the Kasthamandap.[7] In the manuscripts dated Nepal Sambat 499, 454 and 543, (AD 1288, 1243, 1332) it is written that the person responsible for operating the Pachali Bhairav Jatra has to organise the festival following the specific regulations.[8]
Media related to Kasthamandap, Kathmandu at Wikimedia Commons
