The minaret like Bhimsen Tower,(dharahara in nepali) situated in Sundhara is a nine storey (50.2m) tall tower. It was built in 1832 AD by the then Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa. It has a spiral staircase inside of 113 steps with a circular balcony on its 8th floor providing a panoramic view of the whole Kathmandu valley. It has has a 5.2m bronze mast on the roof.
History
The original Bhimsen Tower was built in 1824 and was 11 storey high, 2 storey taller than Dharahara. Dharahara was actually built for queen Lalit Tripura Sundari, the niece of Bhimsen Thapa.The big earthquake of 1834, caused severe damages to Bhimsen tower. However, 100 years later, in January 15, 1934, the next big earthquake caused Bhimsen's tower to be completely destroyed but the two storeys of the the second tower remained. The then prime minister Juddha Shumsher renovated Dharahara to its current form.
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