Rajkulo
A rajkulo (lit. 'royal canal') is a type of canal found in Nepal. It provides water for Irrigation, dhunge dharas, and ponds, and it can be dated back to the Lichhavi era (c450-c750 CE).[1][2]
Early royal canals
[edit]The earliest known canals were built during the Licchavi era. At the time they were referred to as tilamaka and their primary purpose was irrigation. All of these canals have now disappeared.[3]
Notable rajkulos
[edit]During the 17th century the kings of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur commissioned long-distance canals to bring water from the foothills of the Kathmandu valley to their cities.[4]
Tikabhairav Canal
[edit]The Tikabhairav Canal transported water from Lele and Naldu rivers to the Patan Durbar Square complex.[5][6][7]
Bageswori Canal
[edit]The Bageswori Canal brought water from the spring of Mahadev Pokhari to Bhaktapur.[1][7][8]
In 1678 King Jitamitra Malla built a rajkulo to bring water to Bhaktapur.[9] Although the primary objective of the canal was to have water for worship in the Taleju temple, it was also used for irrigation, for watermills and for fishing along the way.[10][11] About half of the dhunge dharas of Bhaktapur received their water from the canal.[4]
Budhikanta Canal
[edit]The Budhikanta Canal brought water to Kathmandu.[7] King Pratap Malla also needed the water for religious reasons.[4] The canal is no longer operational.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Renovating Kathmandu's ancient canals". ECS NEPAL. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Nepali town turns to the past for solutions to current water crisis". OnlineKhabar. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ Nepal Mandala: A Cultural Study of the Kathmandu Valley by Mary Shepherd Slusser, Princeton University Press, 1982, p 168, 176
- ^ a b c Water Conduits in the Kathmandu Valley (2 vols.) by Raimund O.A. Becker-Ritterspach, ISBN 9788121506908, Published by Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 1995
- ^ UN-HABITAT, 2007. Water Movement in Patan with reference to Traditional Stone Spouts Archived 2021-03-22 at the Wayback Machine, ISBN 9789937203913
- ^ "Reviving Patan's royal canal". Nepali Times. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Exploring the rhythms of public life through public water structures within Kathmandu valley, submitted by Ashim Kumar Manna, 2015-2016
- ^ Indigenous water management system in Nepal: cultural dimensions of water distribution, cascaded reuse and harvesting in Bhaktapur City by Dipendra Gautam, Bhesh Raj Thapa and Raghu N. Prajapati, Environment Development and Sustainability, August 2018
- ^ Tripathi, Mira (2016). A Comparative Evaluation of Stone Spout Management Systems in Heritage and non-Heritage Areas of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, p 77-78 (Ph.D Thesis). New Zealand: Lincoln University. hdl:10182/7629.
- ^ Traditional Water Management Practices. A Case Study Of Bhaktapur City by Ganesh Khaniya, Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems Promotion Trust, Kathmandu, Nepal, February 2005, retrieved 13 March 2025
- ^ Dhunge-Dharas in the Kathmandu Valley. Continuity and Development of Architectural Design by Raimund O.A. Becker-Ritterspach, Change and Continuity, 1996
- ^ Reviving Patan's royal canal Archived 2021-03-22 at the Wayback Machine by Mallika Aryal, Nepali Times, November 2005, retrieved 10 September 2019
External links
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