THE FOUNTAIN

In the sunken area of the courtyard lie the items of principle interest. Just to the south of center sits a great slab of flat stone, about four feet wide and ten feet long, behind which is a verticle stone with an inscription in Newari. This platform, which was called the "meditation stone" by the tourist guides, both official and self-appointed, who accompanied tourists into the Sundari-chok, looks past a tika powder stained image of Hanuman the monkey god at a large space, recessed deeper still below the level of the courtyard.

Roughly circular, and about twelve to thirteen feet in diameter, the fountain is aligned on a north-south axis. It is an example of the gaihridhara, or "deep fountain" variety (Schlusser, page 155) of which one sees a great deal in the Kathmandu area. Usually terraced, leading down to one and in many cases more spouts fed by gravity through clay pipes. The fountains vary greatly in size, shape, and number of terreaces. Usually rectangular, circular or cruciform, the shape of the fountain is not only aesthetic but also "concieved as cosmic diagrams, the ubiquitous mandala, and even the underground clay pipes may be arranged accordingly" (Schlusser, page 155). At the south end of the Sundari-chok fountain two large columns and a pair of lions stand on either side of a stairway leading down into the fountain. On the outside of the lions a snake coils itself around the sunken space; one head on either side, joining at the north end behind a miniature version of an sikhara style temple (plate 7). The fountain contains three layers of carved stone images. The topmost section sits level with the rest of the courtyard, the other two lie below. Below the miniature temple at the north end is a large bronze water-spigot head. For the purpose of this report, I will discuss selected images from Tier 1, as the image quality of the photographs for these images is clearer than that of the levels below it, and the other major features of the fountain.