By Indira Aryal

Bhaktapur, Jan.8: The 2015 earthquake demolished almost all the temples, palaces and other infrastructure inside the Bhaktapur Durbar Square except for the Nyatapola, the temple of Siddhi Laxmi. 
The temple of Bhairav Kale near the Nyatapola temple was also completely destroyed in 1990’s earthquake and partially in 2015 earthquake but Nyatapola, the five-storey pagoda temple, remained intact in all the three big quakes in the country in the last 86 years.
The temple had also survived the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake that had damaged many other temples in the area, said Mohan Singh Lama, archeological engineer at the Department of Archeology. 
Madhu Sudan Dhaubadel, a 92-year-old man, who was sitting outside his house basking in the sun in front of the Nyatapola temple, said he had felt the quake in 1990 and seen Bhairav temple destroyed. But the Nyatapola remained the same, only its pinnacle fell down.
He was 10 years old during the massive quake of 1934. He said he was in the same place when another quake hit the country again in 2015. He said that he saw all the temples and building demolished except for the Nyatapola temple in both the quakes and it was amazing. 
The door of the temple opens every day in the morning but public people are not allowed to enter. Only priest of the temple and residents of surroundings areas are allowed to enter the temple, said Ganga Dhaubadel, a local resident. It is said that the temple was the place to perform Kul Pooja of the Malla Kings.
During the construction of the temple, when the labourers finished building one wall and they used to go home thinking they had finished one part, but in the morning when they returned to the site, they found the wall falling again.
It was done by the Malla regime as she heard from her elders. It was to make the temple strong, she added.
Everybody from Madhu Sudan’s house was running here and there in the 2015 quake but he was calmly watching at the Nyatapola temple, which is situated just in front of his house in the Durbar Square area, to know whether that would fell. 
It is said that the temple was constructed using traditional raw materials like mortar (a mixture of Chuna and Surki, mixed dal), strong wooden pillar, mud and all the traditional techniques were used to make the temple strong.
“Not only the materials but the traditional techniques used to construct the temple also helped the temple remain stronger,” Lama said. 
Lama said that maintenance was also the main part to keep the infrastructure in the good condition. The Bhaktapur Municipality and Department of Archeology have been working together for the maintenance of the temple.
Even though no damage was caused in the temple, Bhaktapur Municipality has now been working on its maintenance. It has been working to change the roofs and windows of the temple, Lama said.  
Nyatapola, a Pagoda temple, was erected by the then King Bhupatindra Malla in seven months from 1702 BS to 1703BS. It is the temple of Siddhi Lakshmi, the Tantric Lakshmi that gives auspiciousness in the area. 
Bhaktapur, an ancient, medieval city, from the 15th century, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, which records buildings that are of cultural and natural values universally.