Bhājaṅgala Tank (1904 CE)

Curated by Pabitra Bajracharya

Bhājaṅgala Tank (1904 CE)
Photo by Yogesh Budathoki, June 2025

Bhājaṅgala tank (DANAM ID: KIR0086), built under the “Chandra Loka Water Works” project initiated by Prime Minister Candra Śamśera in the joint name of himself and his wife, remains in use today. Located on Bhājaṅgala Hill between Kirtipur and Chobhar—one of the higher elevations in southern Kathmandu Valley—the tank was designed to supply water to Patan by natural gravity flow. It has brick walls about two meters thick, built with lime or brick powder mortar, and is covered with metal lids cast in Calcutta by Martin & Coy. A valve house resembling a phalcā stands to the northeast to regulate flow, while a smaller shelter to the south housed the caretaker, giving rise to the local name “Pāla” (from pāle, meaning ‘guard’). The tank is still filled with spring water from Champadevi Hill. Completed in 1904 CE (VS 1961), the project was dedicated jointly to Candra Śamśera and Queen Candralokabhakta Lakṣmī Devī, with Colonel Kiśora Narasiṃha Rāṇā as executive engineer. Further details appear in the inscription at the Bagmati Bridge in Thapathali, rebuilt by Candra Śamśera, which records that, unlike Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, Patan lacked public water taps (kaladhārā) and relied on well water, causing illness. To fulfill his late wife’s wish, Candra Śamśera brought water through iron pipes from 19,900 feet away, building reservoirs and a 300-foot bridge over the Bagmati to carry the pipeline. The project created 50 public taps in Patan, dedicated for the queen’s salvation and the prime minister’s long life. Today, the tank remains operational and is managed by the Nepal Water Supply Corporation.