55-window palace of Dang awaits maintenance

By Diwakar Pokharel, Deukhuri, Aug. 25: When people think of the 55-windowed palace, they think of the one in Bhaktapur. Nobody knows of the palace that stands in Dang. No tourists come to visit this building, it’s not included in any travel guide, researchers have not studied this building and rather unfortunately, very few seem to care that it’s growing more dilapidated by the day.

This 55-windowed palace, located in Gobardiya, Gadhawa Rural Municipality–3, Dang, has 132 years of history associated with it. The palace was the passion project of Jokhan Chaudhary, the father of Parsu Narayan Chaudhary, who was the chairman of the standing committee of the former Rajparishad. It was so grand that it took a decade to construct, from 1890 to 1900, and according to Jokhan’s grandson Pallu Chaudhary, required the skills of artisans from India. “Grandfather wanted to build a house that was unlike any other in the country,” he said.

At the time of construction, the palace had three storeys. However, the top storey collapsed in the 1934 earthquake. That did not diminish its charm, though. The palace still appears like a residence that once housed the royals of Kathmandu. However, that may not last very long.

The palace is crumbling. It is no longer safe to live in and locals fear that it may collapse at any time. And the Chaudhary family claimed that this is because there are too many people who have a stake in the house’s ownership.

According to Jokhan’s great-grandson Manoj Chaudhary, the sons, grandsons and great-grandsons of Jokhan all have joint custody of the palace and utilise it as they need. But no one has done anything to preserve it. “I wanted to turn it into a museum but I could not convince my siblings and cousins,” he lamented. “This palace has too many owners and it is hard to get everyone on board.”

The Lumbini government had also tried to repair the building and develop it as a Tharu museum but this complicated ownership forced it to back off. Ward chairman of Gadwa Rural Municipality-3 Tulsi Adhikari said that the family’s internal disputes had prevented the authorities from taking concrete steps for the preservation. 

When it was new, the palace was so regal and majestic that the Chaudhary family were nearly exiled for building it. 

The rulers of the time accused Jokhan of trying to compete with the Shahs and the Ranas and imposed exorbitant fines and harsh punishments on them.