Damage assessment of cultural heritage structures after the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake; a case study of Jagannath Temple

The Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake and the series of aftershocks that followed have damaged many heritage structures in and around Kathmandu Valley, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHSs). This paper summarizes observed damage to the heritage structures of diverse typologies within the UNESCO WHSs of Kathmandu Valley. As a part of the investigation, inspection survey and damage assessment were carried out for Jagannath Temple, one of the partially damaged monuments in the Kathmandu Durbar Square WHS. Ambient vibration and in-situ tests using the pendulum hammer, the rebound hammer, and in-place push on masonry walls were performed. Finite-element models of the structure were developed, and the results were analyzed and compared with field observations. Based on the observed damages and the results obtained from numerical modeling, the primary causes of the damage are discussed.