One of the most recognized and iconic structures of modern Kathmandu, Ghanta Ghar (bell tower) was built in 1894 across Kathmandu’s Rani Pokhari and within the premises of Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus.

The clocks were imported to Nepal from London by the Rana Prime Minister Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, whose name is carved in the yellow background right below each clock in the tower. According to Thapa, Bir Shumsher’s original intention wasn’t to build a public clock tower, instead, he had ordered four huge clocks to be installed in the residences of each of his four sons.

Hpwever, when the clocks arrived in Nepal, they worked only through an assembled engine. Then the Rana Prime Minister decided to build a specific clock tower in the premises of his durbar. The architect of Ghantaghar was influenced by European architecture of creating dome and arches in the chimney and hollow spaces to adapt the intricate design. Historian Sudarshan Raj Tiwari assumes that Jogbir Sthapit may be behind the architectural work of the original Ghantaghar, as Sthapit is renowned for designing monuments during Bir Shumsher's reign.