Bhimsen Thapa commissioned the original tower for Queen Lalit Tripurasundari. The lead dates it to 1832, though one section says 1835. It was 236 feet (72 m) high with nine storeys, a spiral staircase of 213 steps to a balcony on the eighth floor and a 17-foot (5.2 m) bronze mast. The design combines Mughal and neoclassical styles, and it served as a military watchtower.
The article's accounts of the earlier collapses conflict. It cites earthquakes in 1833, 1834 and 1934, and credits both Thapa and Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher Rana with the second tower.
On April 25, 2015, an earthquake collapsed most of the tower and left a stump of about 33 feet (10 m). Reconstruction began in October 2018, and the tower opened on September 19, 2024. The new 22-story tower has a museum, garden, fountain and parking and keeps the minaret shape. The article gives no height for it.
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