Editing Nepal (section)

===Art and architecture===
{{main|Architecture of Nepal}}
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| footer            = Clockwise from top-left: (a) [[Nyatapola]], a five storied [[pagoda]] in Bhaktapur, bejewelled with characteristic stone, metal and wood craftsmanship, has survived at least four major earthquakes.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001461/146117e.pdf |title=Science, Research and Technology in Nepal |year=2006 |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |pages=3–6 |author1=Dayananda Bajracharya |author1-link=Dayananda Bajracharya |author2=Dinesh Raj Bhuju |author3=Jiba Raj Pokhrel |access-date=18 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210819/https://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001461/146117e.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Pagodas, now an indispensable part of East Asian architecture, are conjectured to have been transmitted to China from Nepal. (b) Nepali stonecraft in a royal water spout. (c) A traditional Newar "Ankhijhyal" window in the form of a peacock.
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The oldest known examples of architecture in Nepal are [[stupa]]s of early Buddhist constructions in and around [[Kapilvastu District|Kapilvastu]] in south-western Nepal, and those constructed by [[Ashoka]] in the [[Kathmandu Valley]] {{circa|250}} BC. The characteristic architecture associated exclusively with Nepal was developed and refined by Newa artisans of the Kathmandu Valley starting no later than the Lichchhavi period. A [[Tang dynasty]] Chinese travel book, probably based on records from {{Circa|650 AD}}, describes contemporary Nepali architecture, predominantly built with wood, as rich in artistry, as well as wood and metal sculpture. It describes a magnificent seven-storied pagoda in the middle of a palace, with copper-tiled roofs, its balustrade, grills, columns and beams set about with fine and precious stones, and four golden sculptures of [[Makara]]s in the four corners of the base spouting water from their mouths like a fountain, supplied by copper pipes connected to the runnels at the top of the tower. Later Chinese chronicles describe Nepal's king's palace as an immense structure with many roofs, suggesting that the Chinese were not yet familiar with the pagoda architecture, which has now become one of the chief characteristics of [[Chinese architecture]].

A typical pagoda temple is built with wood, every piece of it finely carved with geometrical patterns or images of gods, goddesses, mythical beings and beasts. The roofs usually tiled with clay, and sometimes gold plated, diminish in proportion successively until the topmost roof is reached which is itself ensigned by a golden finial. The base is usually composed of rectangular terraces of finely carved stone; the entrance is usually guarded by stone sculptures of conventional figures. Bronze and copper craftsmanship observable in the sculpture of deities and beasts, decorations of doors and windows and the finials of buildings, as well as items of everyday use is found to be of equal splendour. The most well-developed of Nepali painting traditions is the [[thanka]] or [[paubha]] painting tradition of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], practised in Nepal by the Buddhist monks and Newar artisans. [[Changu Narayan Temple]], built {{circa}} 4th century AD has probably the finest of Nepali woodcraft; the Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Squares are the culmination of Nepali art and architecture, showcasing Nepali wood, metal and stone craftsmanship refined over two millennia.<ref name="landon2">{{Cite book|last=Landon Perceval|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.81837|title=Nepal Vol II|date=1928}}</ref>

The [[Newar window|"ankhijhyal" window]], that allow a one-way view of the outside world, is an example of unique Nepali woodcraft, found in building structures, domestic and public alike, ancient and modern. Many cultures paint the walls of their homes with regular patterns, figures of gods and beasts and religious symbols; others paint their walls plain, often with clay or [[chernozem]] contrasted with yellow soil or limestone. The roofs of religious as well as domestic structures project considerably, presumably to provide protection from the sun and the rain. The timber of domestic structures are finely carved as with their religious counterparts.<ref name=landon2/>