After the earthquake: how Bhaktapur and Thimi rebuilt

At 11:56 on the morning of Saturday 25 April 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck central Nepal, with its epicentre in Gorkha district. Buildings shook across the Kathmandu Valley for nearly a minute. A second major earthquake followed on 12 May. Nearly nine thousand people died across Nepal, and hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged.

Damage in the eastern valley

Bhaktapur and Thimi, with their dense old brick houses, were badly hit. Many traditional homes collapsed or became unsafe, and lives were lost. In Durbar Square, the Vatsala Durga temple fell and the Fasidega temple was severely damaged. Other temples, rest houses and palace buildings cracked. Nyatapola, remarkably, survived with minor damage, as it had in 1934. In Sanothimi, newer concrete buildings fared better on the whole, though some were damaged.

The first months

In the days after the quake, families slept in tents in fields, squares and school grounds, afraid of aftershocks. Neighbours cooked together, youth groups cleared rubble and searched for survivors, and guthis organised to protect deities and valuable objects from damaged temples. The monsoon arrived a few weeks later, adding to the hardship.

Rebuilding homes

Rebuilding private homes was a long struggle. Government grants were provided in instalments, and many families had to borrow money. Some rebuilt in reinforced concrete for safety and speed; others chose to restore traditional brick and timber houses with seismic reinforcement, often with support from heritage programmes. Bhaktapur municipality encouraged traditional facades to preserve the city's character.

Rebuilding monuments

Heritage reconstruction raised difficult questions. Should temples be rebuilt exactly as before, or strengthened with modern materials? Who should do the work — contractors or local craftspeople and communities? In Bhaktapur, local communities and the municipality often insisted on traditional methods and local artisans. Old carved stones and timbers were salvaged and reused wherever possible, and new carvings were made by master craftsmen trained in traditional techniques. Vatsala Durga and other major monuments have since been rebuilt.

The role of craftspeople

The reconstruction gave new work and recognition to woodcarvers, stone carvers, metalworkers and brickmakers. Some young people who had planned to leave for jobs abroad instead learned traditional crafts. The skills of Thimi and Bhaktapur, passed down over centuries, proved essential to recovery.

What visitors see today

Today most visible damage has been repaired, but if you look carefully you can still see signs of the quake: new wood beside old, fresh bricks among weathered ones, and occasional empty plots. Many buildings carry plaques recording their reconstruction. The story is one of loss, but also of remarkable resilience.