Traditional decorative pieces and intricate wood craftsmanship adorn every nook and corner of this three and half storied building. [break]
Named Yauta Chhen, the Newari styled house is a harmonious amalgamation of traditional and modern elements. In Newari, these two words translate to the West Palace.
The elaborately carved wooden door has the latest lock system; the traditional sanduks (chest) are not only used as a storage space but also has helped add charm to his work room; the old dressing table has been used as a base for inverter and if the inverter isn’t working, the little bird oil lamp lightens up the corridor.
Shrestha started his restoration and renovation projects some 12 years back and Yauta Chhen was his first project. While renovating the north wing of the Chhen, he came across several artifacts in the attic.
Among them was an old wooden stool that he found in his grandfather’s store room, who was a Rajopadhya (a priest).
“Usually, priests were handed over damaged objects and artifacts to store them away. This was done so that it would not affect normal people as it was believed that such objects possessed power,” shares Shrestha, who has worked on seven restoration and renovation projects.
He restored one of the missing legs of the tool and now it is being used in one of the guest rooms.
“I’m not much of a collector of antiques. But I collect pieces that can be reused after its restoration,” puts Shrestha.
He guesses that the tool dates back to the Malla era and was used for ceremonial purposes.
Besides it, the wooden struts that adorn all the four corners of Yauta Chhen’s ground floor are another set of antique pieces that he is fond of.
He informs that while renovating one of the buildings that was used for communal puja in Patan, his grandfather was asked to replace the old ones.
“They might date back to 17th century as the communal building belongs to that particular period,” he surmises.
“Such valuables would have been thrown away as people think of them as old worthless pieces. Mainly in Newar community, we have a culture of throwing away old and damaged pieces and replacing them with new ones.”
However, in Shrestha’s abode, both the old and new artifacts have found equal space.
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