# Singha Durbar Fire (9 July 1973)

URL: https://allhistories.com/nepal/timeline/1973-singha-durbar-fire
Location: Singha Durbar, Kathmandu
Themes: Tourism, Counterculture

A major fire broke out at Singha Durbar on 9 July 1973 and engulfed all three rear wings of the vast palace, leaving only the front wing intact. To stop the flames from reaching the front, cannon were used to demolish the north, south and west wings. The site was later rebuilt on its original foundations. Singha Durbar had been built by the Rana prime ministers as a lavish residence and designed by Kumar Narsingh Rana and Kishor Narsingh Rana in a neoclassical and Baroque blend. After 1951 the government used it for offices. Wikipedia notes a claim, marked as needing citation, that Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista resigned after the fire. The rebuilt complex houses both chambers of parliament, about twenty ministries and the headquarters of Radio Nepal and Nepal Television. It was damaged again in the 2015 earthquake. The palace remains both the symbol of the state and the most prominent surviving example of Rana-era architecture in the capital. At this point in the timeline (1973), the Kingdom of Nepal was under King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah (31 January 1972 – 1 June 2001), while Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista (14 April 1971 – 16 July 1973) headed the government.

## Why it matters
It destroyed much of the seat of government and archives, and the rebuilt Singha Durbar remains Nepal's administrative centre.

Ruler at the Time: [Birendra Bir Bikram Shah](https://allhistories.com/nepal/rulers/birendra-bir-bikram-shah)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Singha Durbar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singha_Durbar)
- [Wikipedia — Kirti Nidhi Bista](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirti_Nidhi_Bista)