Born: 1954 (circa), Nepal (assumed)
Died: NA
Country most active: Nepal
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from Women Architects Worldwide: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Canon by Aubree Tillett, edited by Aubree Tillett and Jess Ilias, an open-access Pressbook designed to uplift the names of women architects from almost every country and territory around the world. This entry is shared in line with the Creative Commons licensing.
Chandralekha Kayastha is considered one of the first professional women architects in Nepal. She holds a bachelor’s of science in architecture from Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Baroda, India (1976). She and her husband, architect Matsyendra Lal Kayastha, are the co-founders of Mr. and Mrs. M.L. Kayastha and Associates Pvt. Ltd., an architectural and engineering firm established in Kathmandu, Nepal (1976), where they both worked as the co-principal architects. The firm has continued operation for over four decades. Chandralekha Kayastha served as the president of the Rotary Club of Patan (2017–2018). She was celebrated as one of the “First Lady Architects of Nepal” on International Women’s Day by the Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA) and the Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA) (2019).
References
M. L. Kayastha & Associates (@mlkayastha). Instagram. Accessed September 17, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/mlkayastha/.
Mr & Mrs M.L. Kayastha & Associates Pvt Ltd. Accessed June 9, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqXRFcFf_lboD_k5HhSd6Dw.
Mr & Mrs M.L. Kayastha & Associates Pvt Ltd. “Architect Mrs. Chandralekha Kayastha on ‘Bigyan Prabidhi’ Program of Nepal Television (NTV).” 2019. Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ksrGpijVzM.
Nepali Women in Architecture. “An Article on the Works of Ar. Chandra Lekha Kayastha and Ar. Matsyendra Lal Kayastha.” Instagram. April 30, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/nepali_women_in_architecture/p/Crrv1Sivtez/.
“Talk with One of the Pioneers of Contemporary Architecture in Nepal: Ar. Matsyendra Lal Kayastha.” The Built Culture, May 6, 2022. https://thebuiltculture.com/2022/05/06/ar-matsyendra-lal-kayastha/.