Historical Woodcarvings in Nepal is very impressive and is popular east to west over world. The art of wood carving has been the pride of Nepal for many centuries. Woodwork has been part of traditional architecture of Nepal and wood carvings have graced monasteries, temples, palaces and residential homes since the centuries.
There is no physical evidence or any physical monuments of its beginning but in many documentaries there is mention of Licchavi period (300-879 AD) and woodwork in that period. A Chinese traveler Wang Hsuan Tsang (643 AD), who has described Licchavi kingdom in his travel log, has clearly mentioned the beautiful woodcrafts, wood sculptures, and decorations used by the Licchavis. While earlier woodcarvings have been described in travelogues, samples have not survived the elements.
“The people of Nepal are skilled in arts. Their houses are made of wood and carved.”
— Wang Hsuan Tsang: Memoirs. AD 643.
Historic sources name a kind of wood called Dhunsi or Chasi, meaning in Newari “as strong as a tiger”. Today, mainly sal, agrath and chapa wood, available in plenty in and around the Valley is used. Wood has been traditionally the main building material in the Valley and it was only natural that the heavy wooden framework, which forms the essential part of the structure, and the beams, struts, pillars and entablatures, forming an ingenious system of load distribution and roof support, should be used for ornamentation. Consequently, all available surfaces of wood, including doors, windows, cornices, brackets and lintels were beautifully shaped and formed and lavishly carved in intricate patterns of geometrical, floral, human and animal forms.
Woodcarving in Nepal is par excellence a Newari art. The Newari language comprises a rich vocabulary of wood carving terms in which every component part of a traditional pattern and every technical detail of the craft have a name, and sometimes several names in different parts of the valley. Among these Newari woodcarver clans, the Silpakars are, perhaps, the best known. The techniques used by the Newari craftsmen follow the prescriptions for wood carving contained in medieval texts, which give exact and specialized instructions for every aspect of craft. The execution of the decorative work had to be very precise so that the countless tiny component parts of a pattern fit perfectly, because no nails or glue are used.