PHOTO COLLECTIONS
The Nepal Heritage Documentation Project (NHDP) is dedicated to the systematic documentation of
selected monuments through photography. The team comprises committed individuals like David
Andolfatto, Yogesh Budathoki, Christiane Brosius, Pankaj Nakarmi, and Thomas Schrom, who have
been actively involved in capturing images. NHDP has also collaborated with renowned
photographers specializing in Nepalese cultural heritage, allowing access to extensive photographic
archives dating back to the 1960s. These archives serve as valuable resources for studying changes in
the monuments, including reconstruction, renovation, demolition, and loss. NHDP acknowledges and
appreciates the contributions of these photographers in systematically documenting Nepal's cultural
heritage.
Ganesh Man Citrakar worked as a photographer for Carl Pruscha (See the photo collection) in the monumental survey of the Kathmandu Valley (1965, 2nd ed. 2015).
Niels Gutschow, (born in 1941), a German architectural historian, first visited Nepal in 1962 without a camera but stored images in his memory. He returned in 1970 and continued to work in Nepal annually until 2019. His focus initially was on urban rituals in cities like Bhaktapur, and later on architecture. The camera became his tool of the trade in documenting changes in the urban fabric and architectural details, based on an experience he termed “tactile seeing”. Niels Gutschow has opened his exquisite photographic archive, allowing us to use material from the 1980s. Among his many books, the Architecture of the Newars is a rich repository of Gutschow’s impressive sense of photography. See the photo collection. See the photo collection.
The John C. and Susan L. Huntington Photographic Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art is a free and open access digital collection that includes more than 200,000 photographs of art and architecture from throughout Asia. The countries included in this collection are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The photographs are copyrighted to John C. and Susan L. Huntington unless otherwise noted. Susan and John Huntington have kindly allowed us to include photographs related to the monuments documented by NHDP. For the complete collection, see here.
Stanisŀaw Klimek (born in 1956) is an experienced photographer specializing in scientific and technical photography. Since 1992, he has been actively engaged in documenting Nepal's architectural heritage, notably as part of the Patan Conservation and Development Programme. He made return visits to Nepal in 1999, 2002, and 2009, focusing on documenting early struts for Mary Slusser. In addition to his work in Nepal, he collaborated with Niels Gutschow in Varanasi in 2000 and with Götz Hagmüller in Bhutan in 2008. Discover his remarkable contributions in the photo collection. See the photo collection
Wolfgang Korn(born in 1943), a German architect, first visited Nepal in 1968. During his stay, he collaborated with the Department of Housing and Physical Planning for the government and worked alongside anthropologist and archaeologist Mary Slusser and Austrian architect Carl Pruscha. Together, they undertook a significant project to document the rich cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. Korn meticulously photographed and mapped various monuments and architectural details as part of their documentation efforts. His valuable contributions are reflected in well-known books like 'The Traditional Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley' (1979) and 'Traditional Newar Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley' (2015). (Photo collection coming soon).
Axel Michaels, a distinguished Indologist born in 1949 in Hamburg, holds the position of Senior Professor and Member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He has been researching on Newar rituals in Bhaktapur along with Niels Gutschow. He is also the leader of the Academy project 'Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal.’ In 1981/82 and on several occasions thereafter, he engaged in documentary work within the Pashupatikshetra of Deopatan. During his time there, he captured a series of photographs that have been featured in his books Die Reisen der Götter: Der nepalische Paśupatinātha-Tempel und sein rituelles Umfeld (1994); Śiva in Trouble: Festivals and Rituals at the Paśupatinātha Temple of Deopatan (2008) and, together with Govinda Tandan, Paśupatikṣetra: A Historical Inventory (2017). (Photo collection coming soon).
Heimo Rau (1912-1993) was a highly esteemed scholar with expertise in art history, Indology, and archaeology. He made significant contributions as a teacher at a Waldorf school in Stuttgart and held prominent positions as the director of the Goethe Institute (formerly Max Mueller Bhavan) in New Delhi, Bombay, and Kathmandu. Throughout his career, Heimo Rau's dedication to scholarly pursuits was evident, and his passion for these subjects was evident in his teachings and works. Some of his photographic works can be found in his notable book "Nepal: Kunst- und Reiseführer" (1984). To this day, part of his valuable collection is preserved for by the Saraf Foundation in Kathmandu. (Photo collection coming soon).
Since 1965 at the age of twenty-two, Ulrich von Schroeder studies Buddhist art and culture from Nepal as an independent scholar. The results of his numerous field trips are published in several monumental volumes. NHDP is happy to be able to use photographs from von Schroeder’s comprehensive publication “Nepalese Stone Sculptures“, published in 2019 by Visual Dharma Publications (Vol. 1: Hindu; Vol.2: Buddhist) with more than 1200 stone sculptures that carry around 15.000 digital photos as public domain resource. See the photo collection
Thomas Schrom is an architect and restoration expert. He has been active in Nepal and Bhutan since 1991 and has been engaged in restoration projects such as the Patan Museum and the Patan Durbar. Following the 2015 earthquake, he worked on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (cultural sector) under the Nepal Government and UNESCO Nepal. Within NHDP, he works as a documentation consultant, where he supervises the in situ architectural dcumentation work of monastic courtyards (baha/bahi) and other monuments in Patan and Kathmandu. See the photo collection
Search Photos on HeidIcon (the open access image database of the Heidelberg University Libary) see here
Ganesh Man Citrakar worked as a photographer for Carl Pruscha (See the photo collection) in the monumental survey of the Kathmandu Valley (1965, 2nd ed. 2015).
Niels Gutschow, (born in 1941), a German architectural historian, first visited Nepal in 1962 without a camera but stored images in his memory. He returned in 1970 and continued to work in Nepal annually until 2019. His focus initially was on urban rituals in cities like Bhaktapur, and later on architecture. The camera became his tool of the trade in documenting changes in the urban fabric and architectural details, based on an experience he termed “tactile seeing”. Niels Gutschow has opened his exquisite photographic archive, allowing us to use material from the 1980s. Among his many books, the Architecture of the Newars is a rich repository of Gutschow’s impressive sense of photography. See the photo collection. See the photo collection.
The John C. and Susan L. Huntington Photographic Archive of Buddhist and Asian Art is a free and open access digital collection that includes more than 200,000 photographs of art and architecture from throughout Asia. The countries included in this collection are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The photographs are copyrighted to John C. and Susan L. Huntington unless otherwise noted. Susan and John Huntington have kindly allowed us to include photographs related to the monuments documented by NHDP. For the complete collection, see here.
Stanisŀaw Klimek (born in 1956) is an experienced photographer specializing in scientific and technical photography. Since 1992, he has been actively engaged in documenting Nepal's architectural heritage, notably as part of the Patan Conservation and Development Programme. He made return visits to Nepal in 1999, 2002, and 2009, focusing on documenting early struts for Mary Slusser. In addition to his work in Nepal, he collaborated with Niels Gutschow in Varanasi in 2000 and with Götz Hagmüller in Bhutan in 2008. Discover his remarkable contributions in the photo collection. See the photo collection
Wolfgang Korn(born in 1943), a German architect, first visited Nepal in 1968. During his stay, he collaborated with the Department of Housing and Physical Planning for the government and worked alongside anthropologist and archaeologist Mary Slusser and Austrian architect Carl Pruscha. Together, they undertook a significant project to document the rich cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley. Korn meticulously photographed and mapped various monuments and architectural details as part of their documentation efforts. His valuable contributions are reflected in well-known books like 'The Traditional Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley' (1979) and 'Traditional Newar Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley' (2015). (Photo collection coming soon).
Axel Michaels, a distinguished Indologist born in 1949 in Hamburg, holds the position of Senior Professor and Member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He has been researching on Newar rituals in Bhaktapur along with Niels Gutschow. He is also the leader of the Academy project 'Documents on the History of Religion and Law of Pre-modern Nepal.’ In 1981/82 and on several occasions thereafter, he engaged in documentary work within the Pashupatikshetra of Deopatan. During his time there, he captured a series of photographs that have been featured in his books Die Reisen der Götter: Der nepalische Paśupatinātha-Tempel und sein rituelles Umfeld (1994); Śiva in Trouble: Festivals and Rituals at the Paśupatinātha Temple of Deopatan (2008) and, together with Govinda Tandan, Paśupatikṣetra: A Historical Inventory (2017). (Photo collection coming soon).
Heimo Rau (1912-1993) was a highly esteemed scholar with expertise in art history, Indology, and archaeology. He made significant contributions as a teacher at a Waldorf school in Stuttgart and held prominent positions as the director of the Goethe Institute (formerly Max Mueller Bhavan) in New Delhi, Bombay, and Kathmandu. Throughout his career, Heimo Rau's dedication to scholarly pursuits was evident, and his passion for these subjects was evident in his teachings and works. Some of his photographic works can be found in his notable book "Nepal: Kunst- und Reiseführer" (1984). To this day, part of his valuable collection is preserved for by the Saraf Foundation in Kathmandu. (Photo collection coming soon).
Since 1965 at the age of twenty-two, Ulrich von Schroeder studies Buddhist art and culture from Nepal as an independent scholar. The results of his numerous field trips are published in several monumental volumes. NHDP is happy to be able to use photographs from von Schroeder’s comprehensive publication “Nepalese Stone Sculptures“, published in 2019 by Visual Dharma Publications (Vol. 1: Hindu; Vol.2: Buddhist) with more than 1200 stone sculptures that carry around 15.000 digital photos as public domain resource. See the photo collection
Thomas Schrom is an architect and restoration expert. He has been active in Nepal and Bhutan since 1991 and has been engaged in restoration projects such as the Patan Museum and the Patan Durbar. Following the 2015 earthquake, he worked on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (cultural sector) under the Nepal Government and UNESCO Nepal. Within NHDP, he works as a documentation consultant, where he supervises the in situ architectural dcumentation work of monastic courtyards (baha/bahi) and other monuments in Patan and Kathmandu. See the photo collection
Search Photos on HeidIcon (the open access image database of the Heidelberg University Libary) see here