Kaiser Mahal
{{Short description|Nepalese palace}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox building
|name=Kaiser Mahal
|image=File:Kaiser Mahal (palace).JPG
|caption= Kaiser Mahal in 2018.
|map_type=
|latitude=
|longitude=
|iso_region=
|location_town= Kathmandu
|location_country= Nepal
|architect= Kumar Narasingh Rana and Kishor Narasingh Rana
|client=Chandra Shumsher JBR
|engineer=
|construction_start_date=
|completion_date=
|date_demolished=
|cost= Unknown
|structural_system= Brick and Mortar
|style= Neoclassical architecture and European styles of architecture
|size=
}}
Kaiser Mahal is a Rana palace in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The palace complex, located west of the Narayanhity Palace, was incorporated in an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens and buildings.
History
File:Bricks used in Kaiser Mahal.jpg
The palace complex lay in the heart of Kathmandu, to the west of the Narayanhity Palace.{{cite web|url=http://www.shankerhotel.com.np/blog/2014/10/19/the-historic-durbars-of-kathmandu/|title=THE HISTORIC DURBARS OF KATHMANDU|date=2014-10-19|access-date=2015-06-05|archive-date=5 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705215035/http://www.shankerhotel.com.np/blog/2014/10/19/the-historic-durbars-of-kathmandu|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://historylessonsnepal.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-time-to-build-maharajah-birs-legacy.html|title=A Time to Build, Maharajah Bir's Legacy|access-date=4 September 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225221/http://historylessonsnepal.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-time-to-build-maharajah-birs-legacy.html|url-status=live}} Later Jeet Shumsher sold his palace to Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, who then destroyed the old palace and build a new palace in 1895 for his son Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana{{cite book |last=JBR|first=PurushottamShamsher|date=2007 |title=Ranakalin Pramukh Atihasik Darbarharu|trans-title=Chief Historical Palaces of the Rana Era|language=ne|publisher=Vidarthi Pustak Bhandar|isbn=978-9994611027}} These unique and impressive Edwardian features earned it the name "Garden of Dreams."{{Cite web |url=http://hotelsatnepal.com/?p=134 |title=The Garden's of Dream: Kaiser Mahal Kathmandu | Welcome to Naturally Nepal |access-date=5 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226154212/http://hotelsatnepal.com/?p=134 |archive-date=26 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}
Under Government of Nepal
After the fall of the Rana regime, Kaiser Mahal was occupied and owned by Kaiser Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana. It was sold to government of Nepal. It is currently occupied by Kaiser library, and Sampati Suddhikaran Aayog.{{Cite web |url=http://moe.gov.np/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 August 2015 |archive-date=5 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150805063018/http://www.moe.gov.np/ |url-status=live }}
Earthquake 2015
This palace was partially damaged during the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. Kaiser Mahal was designated safe and received a yellow sticker, with further recovery efforts required for the books and artifacts.{{Cite web|url=http://nepalitimes.com/blogs/mycity/2015/05/20/rana-palaces-after-the-earthquake/|title=My City | Photo blog from Nepali Times » Blog Archive » Rana palaces after the earthquake|access-date=5 August 2015|archive-date=25 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725062715/http://nepalitimes.com/blogs/mycity/2015/05/20/rana-palaces-after-the-earthquake/|url-status=live}}
Retrofitting
After earthquake, Kaiser Mahal underwent extensive retrofitting to preserve its historical architecture while upgrading the structure to meet modern safety standards. This retrofitting process was crucial to ensuring the building's resilience against seismic activity and to accommodate contemporary utilities. Following the completion of these renovations, the Public Procurement Monitoring Office (PPMO) was relocated to Kaiser Mahal in June 2024, making the building fully operational as a government office.{{cite web |title=Public Procurement Monitoring Office |url=https://ppmo.gov.np/content/11780/11780-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A8/ |website=ppmo.gov.np |access-date=12 August 2024 |language=en |archive-date=12 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812013010/https://ppmo.gov.np/content/11780/11780-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%A4-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%A8-%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A8/ |url-status=live }}