On 25 April 2015, Kasthamandap and many other buildings in the
Kathmandu Durbar Square collapsed in the
April 2015 Nepal earthquake, which had an estimated magnitude of 7.9 (). In the earthquake's aftermath, the Nepalese Department of Archaeology (DoA) began excavating the site, with the aid of
UK institutions
Durham University and the
University of Stirling. DoA and Durham teams found coal and sand in the foundation soils. The soils were then sent to Stirling for
radiocarbon dating and
optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) tests, the results of which indicate that the Kasthamandap was built in the 7th century CE.
Copper plate inscriptions which mention the 14th-century king
Jayasthithi Malla were recovered from a pillar in the Kasthamandap. Manuscripts dated
Nepal Sambat 499, 454, and 543 (1288, 1243, and 1332 CE) contain regulations for the
Pachali Bhairav Jatra festival. ==References==