DWELLING TYPES OF THE TOWN OF THIMI, KATHMANDU VALLEY--AN ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY DWELLING CLUSTERS

摘要

In this paper, the traditional house forms of Thimi, Kathmandu Valley, are studied in the context of a settlement cluster of the dwelling quarter. It analyses the dwelling clusters of the clan communities, known as nani, of one of the quarter of the old core of the town. The different dwelling forms found in the nani clusters are classified into three types, and the study shows an evolutionary link in the development of these dwelling types. The paper then analyses the layout form and facade of the earliest of the three dwelling types known as 'mula-nani-chhen' (lit. the origin house of the nani). The house is essentially a homestead type house of a farmer that gradually evolved to the 'street-house' within the context of the development of the settlement cluster. Thus on the historical development of the townscape, this study presents a scenario of sparse homestead type settlements at the early phase, and formation of streetscape only in the late phase when the dwellings gradually filled up at the interior of the nani quarter.