Desay Maru Jhyā ( ne, देशय् मरू झ्या) is a traditional wooden window in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

, which is celebrated for its uniqueness. The name means "window without equal in the country" in

Nepal Bhasa Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan languages, Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surro ...

. The window is set into the facade of a residential house in central Kathmandu. Desay Maru Jhyā is a specimen of the woodcarving heritage of the

Newar Newar (; new, नेवार, endonym: Newa; new, नेवा, Pracalit script:) or Nepami, are the historical inhabitants of the Kathmandu Valley and its surrounding areas in Nepal and the creators of its historic heritage and civilisatio ...

people of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

which goes back more than a thousand years. Newar architecture is characterised by artistic windows and doors set into bare brick walls. The intricate carvings mostly depict religious motifs, ritual objects, mythical beasts and birds. The level of design and carving of the Newar window reached its peak in the mid-18th century. They are found on palaces, private residences and sacred houses across

Nepal Mandala Nepal Mandala ( ne, नेपाल मण्डल) is an ancient confederation on the Indian subcontinent, marked by cultural, religious and political boundaries which lies in present-day central Nepal. It consists of the Kathmandu Valley an ...

. Desay Maru Jhyā is famed for being the only one of its kind. While most traditional windows are

bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or r ...

s carved with elaborate details, Desay Maru Jhya is a latticed window with multiple frames. Its design looks like the bellows in an old

folding camera A folding camera is a camera type. Folding cameras fold into a compact and rugged package for storage. The lens and shutter are attached to a lens-board which is connected to the body of the camera by a light-tight folding bellows. When the c ...

. The unique window is set into a house at Naradevi, a street to the north of

Kathmandu Durbar Square Kathmandu Durbar Square (''Basantapur Durbar Kshetra'') is located in front of the old royal palace of the former Kathmandu Kingdom and is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNES ...

, the old royal palace complex. The street forms part of the ceremonial circuit in the historic section of Kathmandu through which chariot processions and festival parades pass. The window is a tourist attraction and is part of the itinerary on sightseeing tours of the city.

National treasure

Desay Maru Jhyā is more than a century old and has been declared a national treasure. In 1978, the Postal Service Department of the Nepal government issued a postage stamp depicting the window.

References

{{Reflist Windows Architecture in Nepal Architectural elements Kathmandu Woodcarving Woodworking Newa architecture Cultural history of Nepal