Ankhi Jhyal: The Carved Eye Windows of the Kathmandu Valley

Walk the old streets of Kathmandu, Patan or Bhaktapur and the facades look back at you. Elaborately carved wooden windows project from the brickwork, their lattices filtering light into the rooms behind. Our own product listings use a traditional name for these carved windows: ankhi jhyal. Here is what the reference record and our own product descriptions say about the tradition.

What "ankhi jhyal" means

The store's own product descriptions explain the name as a compound of two words: "ankhi", meaning eye, and "jhyal", meaning window - the "eye window". The broader tradition it belongs to is well documented: Wikipedia describes the Newar window as the elaborately carved wooden window that is the distinguishing feature of traditional Newa architecture, and notes that these ornate windows have been described as a symbol of Newar culture and artistry.

A documented carving tradition

According to Wikipedia, Newar windows are found on palaces, private residences and sacred houses across Nepal Mandala, the Kathmandu Valley's historical heartland, and the level of design and carving reached its peak in the mid-18th century. The lintel, sill and jamb are ornamented with figures of deities, mythical beings, dragons, peacocks and auspicious jars, and the window is surmounted by ritual parasols. Our own product descriptions add that such windows have been present in Nepalese architecture since the 15th century and remain part of homes, temples and palaces; that is the store's account of its own craft line rather than an independently verified date. Wikipedia also records that Newar windows and bare-brick facades in the traditional style are making a comeback as an architectural trend, driven by tourism and growing heritage awareness.

Not one window but many

Wikipedia lists several distinct types of traditional Newar window, each with its own place on the facade:

  • Sanjhya - a projecting bay window and the classic Newar window, typically made of three units at the centre of a facade, usually on the third floor, with a lattice shutter that opens upwards.
  • Tikijhya - a lattice window and the most common type in traditional architecture, located on the second floor; it lets light and air in while preventing a passerby from seeing inside.
  • Gajhya - a projecting window located under a roof.
  • Pasukha Jhya - a small window with five units symbolizing the Pancha Buddha, the Five Buddhas, found mostly on the shrine houses of monasteries.

Some individual windows are famous in their own right. Wikipedia records Desay Madu Jhya in Kathmandu, whose name means "the only window of its kind in the country"; the Lunjhya, or "golden window", at Patan Durbar; and the Mhaykha Jhya, the "peacock window" of Bhaktapur, which depicts a fan-tailed peacock. The carved windows of the Kumari House courtyard in Kathmandu belong to the same tradition - we wrote about them, and the living goddess who appears at them, in our article on the Kumari.

Ankhi jhyal in our collection

We carry several hand-carved ankhi jhyal windows:

Large hand-carved ankhi jhyal wooden window with square lattice, floral rosettes on the jambs and a bird-carved lower panel

Ankhi Jhyal Wooden Window ($1,056) - a tall window with a square lattice set between jambs carved with floral rosettes; the lower panel carries bird carvings beneath a projecting cornice.

Hand-carved ankhi jhyal wooden window with diamond lattice and traces of gold and red polychrome

Ankhi Jhyal Wooden Window ($652) - a wide lattice window whose wood still shows traces of gold and red polychrome, with small carved figures on the lower jambs.

Hand-carved ankhi jhyal eye window with flower-knot lattice and creature carvings at the lower corners

Ankhi Jhyal (Eye Window) ($460) - a dark-stained window with a flower-knot lattice and creature carvings at the lower corners. You can browse more carved windows in our Décor Accents collection.

Sources

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