Restoration Work Of Seto Macchindranath Temple Commences As Part Of India’s Assistance To Revive 28 Heritage Sites In Nepal

India’s ambassador to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra along with Kathmandu Mayor Sundar Shakya and National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sushil Gyawali performed the ‘bhoomipujan’ of the restoration work of Seto Macchindranath temple in the capital city, Hindustan Times reports.

This is first of the Indian government’s Rs 580 crore assistance programme to conserve, restore and retrofit 28 cultural sites across eight districts of Nepal that were impacted by the gruesome earthquakes in 2015. The governments of the two countries signed Memorandums of Understandings (MoU) regarding this issue in August 2017 and thereby jointly identified the 28 concerned sites for this project too.

The Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Building) under the NRA is the implementing agency for this project. It is recognizing agencies for the restoration process according to the neighbouring country’s Ancient Monument Preservation Act. The Department of Archaeology’s Basic Guidelines and Manual for conservation and reconstruction of heritage impacted by the 2015 earthquakes will be referred for the same.

Accordingly, material close to the original building material during the time of construction as per traditional ethos, local traditions and values that maintain and enhance the living heritage sites in Nepal will be utilized. Repousse work that includes timber members along with traditional polychrome arts are set to be documented with little interventions.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Deputy Mayor Hariprabha Khadgi said, “Nepal and India are identical in many ways, from marriage to language, culture and mode of living. For having these things in common, they (India) have been extending cooperation in various fields.”

“In continuation to doing so, they have extended help in restoration work the temple of Seto Macchindranath, I would heartedly welcome them on behalf of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Art, Culture, and Heritages are our identity and these are things that make us identifiable,” he added. The Nepalese government’s detailed project report mentions that the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is providing technical support for the entire conservation and restoration work too.