PRESERVATION EFFORTS

For Bhaktapur and its tradition-loving locals, having monuments and culture alone is not all. For them, preservation of the mankind’s shared glories is as much important as the creation of new ones. Keeping this in mind, Bhaktapur Municipality has launched an ambitious campaign for the purpose. In this course, the local body so far has carried out massive restoration of the Nyataponla and Bhairavnath temples, Ta-Pukhu (Siddha Pokhari), the Bhandarkhal Complex, and many other monuments of both religious and archeological importance. Now on the anvil of the municipality are the undertakings involving the rehabilitation of the Taleju Temple Complex, Chatu Brahma Mahavihar, Yaksheswor Mahadev Temple and the 55-Window Palace. In addition, the upkeep of the streets and squares will continue as it had in the past. The most notable part of all these conservation efforts is the active participation of the locals as well as the visiting tourists. While the locals on their part contribute with their labor and skills, tourists do the same through their moral and monetary support.

Bhaktapur Municipality’s commitment to the preservation and promotion of the city and its glorious traditions of art and culture also has taken shape into the legendary Bhaktapur Festival 1997. Organized by the local body for five consecutive days, from October 22 to 26, 1997, the mega event—the first and biggest of its kind ever held in Nepal—had been instrumental in promoting not only Bhaktapur, but also the whole nation in the international arena.

Effortful of realizing its noble objectives, Bhaktapur Municipality has also enforced a ban on vehicles in the Durbar Square. Effective since 1992, the law forbids heavy vehicles from getting into the city core and all kinds of automobiles into the palatial enclave. Because of the municipality’s endeavors and cooperation from the local citizens, Bhaktapur today is Nepal’s one of the least polluted urban areas, besides being the country’s best preserved city.

Given the historic city’s artistic and cultural riches combined with the unspoilt natural atmosphere all around it, a visit to Bhaktapur will sure to become an experience of a lifetime for many. A quiet stroll down the city’s tranquil streets not only take them into a drastically different socio-cultural environment, but also help them explore a glorious dimension of human civilization that is Bhaktapur.