Dhungedharas-the unique and wonderful stone natural water spouts of Nepal

Dhungedharas are the ancient and traditional stone drinking fountain that is supplied from a natural water resource. It is found in Nepal. Many of these natural water spouts are still functional. Most of these are untapped and hence water flows continuously from them. To avoid water wastage, some of these places now have taps installed on them. Hence water release is only when required. These have been made many, many centuries ago and had gone underground or lay submerged in ponds and marshy places and now are getting unearthed. 

Dhungedharas [Source: Wikipedia]

In 1989, a dhungedhara was excavated at Hadigaun and it dates back to 726 AD. Similarly, 4 water conduits were discovered in Bhotahity which is a neighborhood in Kathmandu. The name Bhotahity comes from these 4 water spouts that had an inscription dated 596 AD. Hity or Hiti stands for these dhungedharas or the natural water spouts. The Newari community people expanded outside Kathmandu and took with them this architectural expertise along with their foods and festivals. And therefore, dhungedharas can be also seen outside Kathmandu as far as Gorkha. 

From where does this water come? 

The rainwater gets absorbed into the soil and forms natural sources. These provide water to the dhungedharas. The ancient and Medieval kings built them in order to avoid water shortage. It was during the Licchavi dynasty (400-750 AD). They created channels from rivers to the sources of these dhungedharas. These channels were called Rajkulo and these prevented the spouts to get dry. Also, they built ponds around these dhungedharas so that water could seep through the land around it. More hitis were also built during the time of Malla clan from 1201-1779 AD. The last one was built in 1829 at Sundhara village. 

A dhungedhara with a tap attached to it [Source: Pinterest]

The hitis date back to the 5th century. It is a wonder that such great technology and its understanding existed even during those times in Nepal. The stone provides a waterproof system for the water flow. There is no water leakage there and also it prevents water contamination and blockages. The flow is systematic and the channelled water comes via the principle of gravity. 

More on the dhungedhara architecture

Most of the spouts are made of stone. Those within the palace of Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur are gold versions. The only exception is the one made of wood in Dhalko. There are two main parts of this spout-called HitiMangah and HitiGah. The former is the main spout structure and has the most common trinity with a cult image above and a relief below. The HitiGah is the conduit's basin. This whole assembly is in a sunken courtyard so that gravity can act to draw the water into the hiti. There is usually a resting platform called Paati on the outside of these hitis. 1-5 spouts are in each dhungedharas on an average. But the one in Muktinath has 108 spouts. These are unique to Nepal.

Dhungedharas [Source: Pinterest]

The present state of these dhungedharas

The dhungedharas were built in fifteen centuries and there were more than 300 such successful constructions over this time span. Their names also changed with time. They were first called Kirti, later Pranali, then Lwohiti, and now dhungedhara. These have a social and religious connection. The water is said to be cold during summer and warm during winter. People think that it cures diseases such as arthritis and goitre. 

Dhungedhara, Bhaktapur Durbar Square [Source: Wikipedia]

With the introduction of piped water in the 19th century, dhungedhara construction and maintenance fell in the background. But still, in 2008, the spouts in Kathmandu valley provided 2.95 million liters of water per day. In 2010, out of the 389 dhungedharas in Kathmandu Valley, 233 were still in use. 68 had gone dry and 45 were lost entirely. Some were revived with repair and 43 were connected to the municipal water supply instead of the natural water source. In some, water tanks were added so that the excess water could be collected and used later on or be distributed to the people in the surrounding area. 

In 2019, the Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Management Board (KVWSMB)  did a survey and found that there was on record a total of 573 dhungedharas in the 10 municipalities of Kathmandu Valley. The government managed to recover 479 of these. 42 were not found and 52 were destroyed. But more than half of thee were dry.