Dharahara or Bhimsen Stambha (Nepali: धरहरा; pronounced [dʱʌɾʌɦʌɾa] or [dʱʌɾʌːɾa]), is a 72-metre-tall (236 ft)[1] tower at the centre of Sundhara, Kathmandu, Nepal.

[2] It was first built in 1832 by Mukhtiyar (equivalent to Prime Minister) Bhimsen Thapa under the commission of Queen Lalit Tripurasundari and was a part of the architecture of Kathmandu recognized by UNESCO.

[8] The first tower was built eight years earlier in 1824 (1881 BS) at his residence, Janarala Bagh, situated at south-east of Sundhara, near Bhotebahal of Kathmandu.

The then Prime Minister of Nepal, Juddha Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, subsequently carried out renovation work of the Dharahara tower to fully restore it.

The second tower was built in honour of Bhimsen Thapa's feat of taking Nepal's land back in the war.

King Rajendra Bikram Shah had given a lalmohar (a document with the royal seal) to Bhimsen Thapa in 1835, acknowledging his Commander-in-Chief status and building of Dharahara in Sundhara in 1824, in his honour.

[2][11] On one of the sign boards at Dharahara, it is stated that the Dharahara's main purpose was to enable the state and city authorities to summon people to gather on the Tundikhel (the military parade ground to the northeast of the tower) to hear government announcements, and that it showed ‘the religious harmony between Hindu, Muslim and Christian faiths.

'[12] On 25 April 2015, at 11:56 NST, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 (Mw), hit Kathmandu and its surrounding region, leading to the collapse of the tower.

The image of Dharahara that fell during the earthquake in the 19th century, quickly became an iconic representation for many Nepalese not only of the catastrophe but also of their national determination to recuperate and rebuild it.

[12] When local people living far away from the epicenter heard that the Dharahara had fallen, they understood the scale of the calamity: they then realised that ‘the disaster was not small’.

It is widely believed that the original towers were modelled on monuments in India such as the minarets that stand at the four corners of the Taj Mahal complex at Agra, or the Qutb Minar in Delhi.

The main materials used in the tower construction were Vajra-Surki (Brick dust), Chuna (Lime), Maas (Black lentil) and Chaaku (Caramel).