<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d17369c7e80680e0ac754jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800"/><figcaption>Patan's Bhaidega temple was destroyed in the 1934 megaquake, and had just started to be rebuilt 82 years later when the 2015 diaster struck and resources were diverted to other restoration. The three-storey shrine (in scaffolding) is now being reconstructed in the original design. Photo: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>When an 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit Kathmandu in 1934, a three-storey temple in Patan collapsed. Eighty-two years later, just as work had officially started to rebuild it, the 2015 earthquake hit central Nepal.The Bhaidega temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was built more than 350 years ago, but after it was destroyed in 1934, it was rebuilt with a much smaller Moghul style dome. Two months after work began in February 2015 to rebuild it in the original style, the earthquake destroyed much of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/Patan-town-as-a-museum-piece" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Patan Darbar Square</a>.The 2015 quake killed nearly 10,000 people, and many of the temple, monuments, and homes of Kathmandu Valley’s historic towns were destroyed. For the following two years, as priorities shifted, the reconstruction of Bhaidega was suspended so that the other temples could be restored first.“When the earthquake struck, the focus and priorities changed. There was an urgent need to rebuild the temples and monuments brought down by the earthquake,” recalls Rohit Ranjitkar of <a href="https://kvptnepal.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT)</a>, which was leading the restoration of the temple. “So, Bhaidega took a back seat.”Six years after the 2015 quake, while the temples around it have come out of their scaffolding, the work on the Bhaidega is stalled because money has run out.The timeline for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/good-as-old-after-two-earthquakes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reconstruction of Bhaidega</a> is proof that restoration of quake-damaged monuments take a long time in Nepal, and tend to overlap each other.But earthquakes in Nepal also provide an opportunity to rediscover traditional seismic resistant construction methods, so they can be built back better, and revive ancient craftsmanship.What sets Bhaidega apart is that unlike the other temples of the Patan Darbar which were built by the Malla kings, it was put up by a commoner, Bharo Bhagirath Bhaiya in 1678. Historians believe Bhagirath Bhaiya was probably the first person in the Subcontinent to dedicate a temple to Vishweshwar after the desecration of the original shrine in Banaras nine years earlier.The Kashi Vishwanath temple in Banaras was destroyed on orders of Moghul emperor Aurangezeb. Ironically, after the 1934 earthquake, Bhaidega was rebuilt in the Moghul stucco dome architectural style that the rulers of Nepal copied.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d17389c7e80680e0ac755jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="534"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d173b9c7e80680e0ac756jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="547"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d173d9c7e80680e0ac757jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“In the past, people did not really have a concept of conservation. The priority was to have a roof over the idol of the deity,” says Ranjitkar. “So, they rebuilt it anyhow, but it was important to rebuild in the original form.”<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/norway-restoration-project-patan-durbar-square-bhaidegah,2179" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Restoration work</a> actually had begun early as 2011 when well-wishers, conservation architects, historians, and community activists started to collect photos of Bhaidega taken eighty years before and traced to the collection of Felix Brandt in Germany. The photos show only partial facets of the original Bhaidega but was vital in estimating the size and outline of the temple.Detailed watercolour of the woodwork of the first-floor struts, cornices, and pillars made by Henry Ambrose Oldfield in 1853 were discovered in the British Museum. More importantly, carved wooden struts 4m tall, subsidiary struts, and pillars of the temple were discovered in the Patan Museum storeroom.All these provide clues for the reconstruction and designs for the missing wood carvings. With additional research, restoration architects could then draw up sketches of what the restored temple would look like.“When you look at the photos that are available, you can see that the carvings in Bhaidega are one of the best in the city if not the country,” says Indra Prasad Shilpakar, one of the master carvers working on the temple. “It showed us that we were on the right track, and it makes us proud that we are helping revive a part of Nepali art and history that was almost forgotten.”Rebuilding slowed after the 2015 earthquake because <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/saving-the-intangible,3303" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">other temples were also destroyed or damaged</a>, but the interruption was also an <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/learning-from-nepals-past-to-rebuild-its-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opportunity to build back better</a>.“The earthquake gave us a chance to look at the foundation of Bhaidega which would not have happened if the earthquake had not hit,” says Ranjitkar.The plan was to rebuild on the original plinth, but upon inspection the team found that the foundation of the temple was weaker than what they had anticipated. Not only was it shallower but some of the stones used were round.“Rounder uncarved stones move around easily and are not structurally safe. This meant that we had to spend a lot of time and money to reinforce the foundation and make it stronger,” explains Ranjitkar.After 2015, funds and expertise were diverted to other monuments in the Valley as the country went into an emergency response mode. On the heritage front, Nepal faced a crisis of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/featured-videos/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">skilled artisans</a> to rebuild and restore collapsed and damaged monuments. This led to an increase in the cost of workers’ wages, timber, bricks, and other building materials.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d17419c7e80680e0ac758jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="995" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d17449c7e80680e0ac759jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="995" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In 2012, the preliminary cost estimate for the Bhaidega restoration was about Rs40 million. Within seven years, it had more than doubled to Rs90 million.Another temple in the Patan Darbar Square, the Harishankar shrine, similar in size to the original Bhaidega did not cost as much to restore because 80% of its carved wooden columns, struts, eaves were retrieved after the temple collapsed.In the case of Bhaidega, much of the wood carvings need to be replicated and built anew, which takes up the bulk of the expense, expertise, and time. Additionally, Bhaidega also needs extensive bricklaying, roof tiles, terracotta, and repairs and gilding of the original pinnacle.Because of the overwhelming need to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/In-perfect-harmony,3251" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rebuild other temples and monuments</a> destroyed in 2015, Bhaidega was not a priority for donors and the government.“We approached the government for timber at the official rate, but the Forest Ministry did not even grant us that,” says Prithvi Pande, who is the chair of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Group, a citizen’s group. “The government talks about importance of heritage and tourism but can’t even provide wood to rebuild our temples.”A big part of the rebuilding cost has been borne by Pande and his colleagues.  Before the earthquake, the Norwegian Embassy contributed to the shortfall in the initial cost estimate. After the earthquake, other private citizens and the Lalitpur Municipality also supported the cause. But funds have now dried up, while prices have skyrocketed.Ranjitkar of KVPT says the work on restoration has slowed, and there is a budget shortfall of more than Rs30 million.To ensure that the restoration makes up for lost time, the KVPT team worked through the pandemic, following safety protocols. Only the first floor has so far been completed and work is ongoing on the second tier.Most of the wood carving work for the doors, windows, columns, including the lower cornices have been completed.Says Ranjitkar, “If we get the required amount, we can finish rebuilding in 10-12 months. But it is going to get more expensive the longer it takes.”To Donate:Bank Account name: Sanskritik Sampada Samrakshan SamuhaBank and Account no: 040-0103-0250856, Nepal Investment Bank, Lagankhel Branch, Lalitpur<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161120/636d17479c7e80680e0ac75ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>_________________<h2>Who was Bhagirath Bhaiya?</h2>Bhagirath Bhaiya was a commoner who served as prime minister of the kingdom of Patan for 16 years during the reign of King Srinivas Malla. Known for his philanthropy, he was a reputed military commander and fought in battles in Makwanpur and elsewhere.He donated much land, upgraded the town’s facilities, and repaired temples in Patan and Pharping. In 1678, he built the Bhaidega temple replicating a Shiva lingam at the Kashi Vishwanath in Banaras which was destroyed nine years earlier.For the inauguration of the temple, he also built the pavilion of Lampati that still stands today across the street south of Bhaidega. It was from here that invited Kings and nobility watched the consecration of the temple. The guests included the royalty of Patan, Bhaktapur King Jitamitra and his brother Ugra Malla, King of Kathmandu Nripendra Malla and his brothers Mahipatindra and Parthivendra. Even the king of Tanahu Bhaiya Rudra Sen was invited.King Srinivas held Bhagirath Bhaiya in great esteem, and this is evident in an inscription dating 1674 at Matsyendranāth Temple, where he asks the public ‘to make no distinction between him and me’.But the elevation of Bhagirath Bhaiya did not sit well with some members of the nobility, especially Yoganarendra Malla who was envious of the former. Having consolidated power in the court, they stripped him of his position in 1685. There are written records that Bhagirath Bhaiya was ‘dragged all the way from his residence (to the palace)’.A year later, King Yoganarendra Malla usurped power from his father, and had Bhagirath Bhaiya killed.

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Restoring a piece of Nepal’s history

<figure><img width="1338" height="731" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141128/636cfcab9c7e80680e0a0ba1jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Laxman Ramtel was recently appointed priest of the Ganesh Mandir in Godamchaur. Photos: HIMALKHABAR</figcaption></figure>One evening 20 years ago, Laxman Ramtel headed to Bhaktapur from Godavari to meet up with his friends.  When he arrived, Ramtel saw that one of his friends was shaving his beard. Thinking he too could use a shave, he attempted to borrow his friend’s shaving equipment. But another one of his friends stood up abruptly to stop him, proclaiming: "Dalits are not supposed to use the same blade as Brahmins and Chhetris." His friend’s words hurt Ramtel deeply. “I was humiliated and heartbroken that day,” he recalls. “I came back home and wept all night.” Many years later, a priest came around to his neighbourhood in Godamchaur on the southern outskirts of Kathmandu Valley, where Ramtel was born and raised, to tie the holy strings on people’s wrists during Janai Purnima.  His family, however, was treated differently. “The priest personally tied the doro on everyone else,” he says. “But when he learned that we were Dalit, he refused to approach us -- he tossed the holy thread at us from afar.” For Ramtel, the years before, between, and after these two incidents have been peppered with similar <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-caste-struggle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discrimination</a>. He has experienced caste-based <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/caste-aside-dalits-battle-sitgma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prejudice and intolerance</a> all of his life, be it from strangers or friends, in a village or city, market or temple. But now, Ramtel is at the precipice of change. In July, he was appointed priest of the Ganesh Mandir at Godamchaur by the chief priest of the temple, Pandit Deenbandhu Pokharel. <img width="1703" height="999" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141128/636cfcae9c7e80680e0a0ba2jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ramtel, an electrician by profession, was overjoyed--to the extent that he briefly forgot about his past experiences. But soon enough, the worry began to creep back in. What if the people refuse to receive tika and blessings from a Dalit priest, he thought. “Although I was chosen because I was qualified for the job, I believe and hope that this decision contributes in some way in building a society without caste-based discrimination,” says Ramtel.oGenerations of Ramtel’s family have made their lives and livelihoods in Godamchaur. He grew up trailing along with his mother often during her visits to the Ganesh Mandir, and the temple is as much home to him as his own house. As such, Ramtel is a man of abiding faith. “I fast every Tuesday for Lord Ganesh, and I see him often in my dreams,” Ramtel says solemnly. “This opportunity might very well have been the fruit of my conviction.”As news of his appointment spread, Ramtel garnered encouragement and support from some high-profile civil society leaders, including Dr Govinda KC, who visited the temple along with social workers, writers, and legal practitioners to receive tika from the new priest to boost his morale. (Pictured, below) <img width="800" height="511" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141128/636cfcb19c7e80680e0a0ba3jpeg.jpg" alt="">“I was very happy to have received offerings and blessings from priest Ramtel,” said KC, while advocate Omprakash Aryal, who accompanied him says that he hopes Ramtel has been encouraged by the support.Priest Ramtel, for his part, was pleasantly surprised to have met KC and the team of civic society leaders in front of Godamchaur residents. "Today is among the happiest days in my life,” he said.Ramtel has participated in the conservation of the temple for years and was directly involved in its restoration when the 2015 earthquake destroyed it. In fact, the temple bell is still at their home and will be taken to the temple after it is fully reconstructed, says his wife Puja Roka.Ramtel’s day typically begins at four in the morning, when he makes his daily rounds of the holy pipal tree nearby before moving on to other tasks of the day. And although he has been worshipping the tree and the temple for a long time, Ramtel is unfamiliar with the rituals he will need to perform as a priest, and the protocols he needs to follow.  <img width="1800" height="1347" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141128/636cfcb49c7e80680e0a0ba4jpeg.jpg" alt="">But he has ample time to learn, with the temple reconstruction expected to be complete in three months. Meanwhile, he is adapting to his new circumstance, learning about the ins and outs of the temple and his life as its custodian. He is also reading the Bhagawad Gita and the Ramayana as he familiarises himself with religious texts ahead of his lessons with the chief priest Pokharel.Once he is done with the training, the hands that have helped light people's homes will also light the diyo oil lamps in the gods' home. <img width="1000" height="503" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110141128/636cfcb79c7e80680e0a0ba5jpeg.jpg" alt="">Ramtel is also making tentative plans and schedules for the time after the temple reconstruction is complete. He intends to spend his mornings at the temple every day and entire Tuesdays. He wants to devote his time rebuilding and conserving other temples, idols, and places of religious significance around Godamchaur.His father Govinda Ramtel commends his son’s faith and attachment to the temple, which he believes was vital in his appointment by the Sanatan Goraksha Rashtra Nepal. But he also worries about the kind of reception he would get from the communities.“I hope that my son makes other people happy through his service, but I fear others will speak badly to him, make insulting remarks questioning the son of a Dalit being a priest,” says the 89-year-old.The young priest himself hasn’t forgotten the kind of treatment he received all his life for being a Dalit, and he is constantly thinking if he will face more <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/caste-aside/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">caste-based discrimination </a>as a priest now. He says: “I am a Hindu in the same way a Brahmin or Chhetri is, my faith in God is the same as theirs. God doesn’t care about caste, doesn’t discriminate, only humans do.”Links to Himal Khabar series on this subject:<a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/125353" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/125353</a> <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/125374" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/125374</a> Translated by Shristi Karki.

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Hindu gods in Bangkok’s malls

<figure><img width="920" height="2000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be10c9c7e80680e083e28jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>A girl worships in a locked up Ganesh temple in Kuleshwor in Kathmandu this week. All photos: Rajani Maharjan</figcaption></figure>For decades, Dhanamaya Singh concluded each day at Aakash Bhairab Temple in Indrachok in Kathmandu’s historic heart, to sing bhajan hymns.As an unmarried elder, these evening prayers were her way of engaging with her community and were the centre of her social and ritual life. But, at the end of March, with the first government-mandated lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19, her daily practice was stopped abruptly. Dhanamaya has not seen a single one of her relatives since the lockdown began, and even after it was lifted has to be careful. While she previously visited them frequently for feasts and rituals days, her family is strictly adhering to social distancing practices, so she now spends most of her time alone at home. She says the isolation, though protective of her physical health, has been detrimental to her mental wellbeing.  <a href="https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Mental-Health-Benefits-of-Religion-Spiritual" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Mental-Health-Benefits-of-Religion-Spiritual&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605372826448000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGy1PM7H-LAzL9nOponn9G9rrlPhg">Numerous studies</a> have shown the connection between religious practice and mental health benefits. The system of beliefs, the structure, and the sense of community inherent in most religions have a largely positive impact on mental wellbeing. Regardless of the belief system, including Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, all involve rituals that help people cope with difficult life events such as the death of a loved one, lessons that arise from challenging situations, as well as regularity and predictability, all of which are highly beneficial during the uncertainty of a pandemic. Additionally, religion and spirituality create a group of people who connect over shared beliefs. The benefits of feeling a sense of belonging, a place for trusting public engagement, and social connection have been shown to reduce anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental distress. <figure><img width="640" height="853" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be10f9c7e80680e083e29jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>While the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of religious practice in Nepal, most people, regardless of their age, gender, or social position, say that it is the change in community engagement that has had the most significant impact on their lives. While many report that they are visiting temples less frequently and have reduced the scale of their rituals, people say they are still finding a way to worship and to regain the sense of community that their typical religious practice brings. To do so, more and more residents of Kathmandu are turning to technology, some for the very first time. But can tools like Facebook, messenger apps, and even virtual reality really replace the real experience?Dhanamaya’s struggle with loneliness and the way in which the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted her mental health is not uncommon in Kathmandu Valley, across Nepal, or around the world. Since the first case of Covid-19 was <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30067-0/fulltext" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30067-0/fulltext&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605372826448000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGg55WQDhgR0lx9yQqWW4gYDhRhRg">recorded in Nepal</a> on 23 January, the valley has been in and out of lockdowns with varying degrees of restrictions.Although restaurants and public offices have been allowed to reopen periodically, most of the city’s temples, particularly the major ones that draw the largest crowds, have remained shuttered for over seven months.Almost every country in the world has grappled with how to manage the disease burden without causing devastating impacts to the economy, and Nepal is no different in the way it has been forced to bear this struggle. However, because Nepal’s healthcare capacity is already limited, the government of Nepal instituted even more stringent lockdown actions, particularly in Kathmandu Valley, than have been seen in many other countries, including measures such as even/odd days for vehicles, grounding domestic flights, and the complete and long-term closure of businesses. The impacts of these extend far beyond purely the economic.      For example, when Maya Dangol’s mother died a couple of months ago, she and her family struggled to conduct the death rituals due to the lockdown measures. Market closures, supply shortages, and the even/odd license plate restrictions on vehicles posed a challenge when trying to obtain all the necessary material to conduct the funeral rituals. She says her family visited the temples at four in the morning to burn wick lamps in their mother’s name to enable them to return home by six to avoid vehicle restrictions and contact with other people. <figure><img width="960" height="720" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be1119c7e80680e083e2ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Despite these limitations, coronavirus cases continue to increase daily and hospitals in Kathmandu are reaching capacity, some having to turn away even serious cases due to a lack of beds and other resources. The total confirmed cases in Nepal surpassed 200,000 this week, with nearly half of them just in Kathmandu Valley. The total deaths crossed 1,202 on 13 November, with 456 of them in Kathmandu. For the past weeks, the Valley is recording an average of 60% of the daily cases detected nationwide.Public health experts say the government has failed to effectively respond to the pandemic because there was little planning or work to improve healthcare facilities before they became overwhelmed. Now some, especially underprivileged families, feel they have few options if they contract the virus. There is also concern about how the government’s response to the pandemic has impacted the way religious and cultural events have been carried out. Dhiraj, a Newa environmental scientist is worried about the impact of the lockdown on some of the major festivals and rituals, including Rato Machindranath and Bisket Jatra. “The government has prevented these festivals from taking place, but other functions are allowed to continue. Major temples like Pashupati, have been closed since the beginning of the lockdown period, while other activities remain open, like markets and shops,” he explained.“Previously, the Newa community of Kathmandu Valley was especially strong in its religious beliefs, these days this is breaking down. For the first time in a very long time, people are not observing the rituals,” said Dhiraj, adding that this was partly due to fears about disease transmission, but also partially due to government regulation.  While most of the major religious events have been canceled or carried out with highly reduced numbers, residents of Kathmandu and people across Nepal have found ways to adapt and maintain spiritual and social connections despite the difficulty the pandemic poses. Dhanamaya, the bhajan singer, exemplifies this. Although she could no longer play bhajan at the temple, Dhanamaya realised she had another outlet to share her songs and worship with the community: through social media platforms such as Facebook. It was difficult for her to embrace the technology at first, she admits, and she needed help from her young nieces and nephews to navigate the platform. But Dhanamaya says: “Now, when I have leisure time, I get dressed up as if I am going out. I then position my mobile to record myself singing and if the video is nice, I post it.” When her friends and family give positive feedback, she feels less disconnected, and inspired to continue learning and sharing.  <figure><img width="600" height="872" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be1139c7e80680e083e2bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Similarly, Gyani Maharjan says she spends a most of her days on video calls and other social media platforms. Because she has high blood pressure and is therefore at a greater risk for a more serious infection if she contracts the virus, she too is limiting physical contact with others, including family. To stay healthy physically as well as mentally, she participates in a yoga class through a messenger application on her mobile. Like Dhanamaya, she says this has helped her regain a sense of community when she would otherwise be almost completely isolated. Gyani and her nine siblings changed the way they celebrated the festival season this year, but she says, this did not make them feel any less connected as a family. During recent festivals, each sibling would participate in group video calls where they would show what they had prepared for that particular day and joke with each other and laugh. Gyani said she feels less anxious and stressed when she gets to connect using these platforms and watch videos of her grandchildren. In <a href="https://restofworld.org/2020/hey-bhagwan/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://restofworld.org/2020/hey-bhagwan/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605372826448000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE_XGUoyhE7Wod0TspJ2h-j-QFa-Q">India</a>, virtual reality (VR) platforms are being marketed as a way to enable people to do darshan even when they cannot physically get to the temples. This began even before the beginning of the pandemic for people who have moved out of their home state or to a foreign country, because they are elderly or ill, and for those who the major traffic jams of the Indian metropolises prevented them from visiting the temples regularly. Smartphone application downloads for VR temple experiences have increased exponentially since temples were closed in response to the spread of Covid-19. VR apps enable priests to continue to perform the rituals and maintain their livelihoods while devotees can continue to engage, though from afar.Likewise, many Americans have adopted the habit of attending virtual church from their laptops every Sunday. Even after the virus is managed and in-person worship can resume, many churches report that they will continue live streaming weekly services to accommodate those who are unable to attend the service or who prefer to worship from home.However, not everyone has embraced these changing forms of worshiping and socialising though. Baburaja Bajracharya, a priest, says he has heard that some of the Brahmin priests  are instructing people to perform puja through video calls, however, he and other Newa priests that he knows have not adopted this practice. For Baburaja and many others who are hesitant to involve technology in religious practice or who reject it outright, the experience and perceived benefits of being at a temple or in the presence of a priest during puja cannot be replicated virtually. The sense of community afforded through religious practice is not felt to the same degree when those experiences are happening on a mobile phone. <figure><img width="492" height="1024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be1159c7e80680e083e2cjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="492" height="1024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181116/636be1179c7e80680e083e2djpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691617713052?journalCode=ppsa" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691617713052?journalCode%3Dppsa&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1605372826448000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHQIKJRX8DVUxp5GgqxtnVybWftvw">Research</a> has shown that social media can be effective in addressing loneliness when it is used to enhance existing relationships, like in the case of Dhanamaya and Gyani, but is counterproductive when it is relied upon to replace in-person interaction. Therefore, the benefits of this technology are largely dependent on the way they are integrated into daily lives.However, during a pandemic, many feel as though there are few other options for socialisation other than to engage on virtual platforms. This suggests that for some, the perceived benefits may end up being short-lived or unsustainable if social distancing remains necessary far into the future.  For some, though, the use of technology to conduct and share ritual, religious, and community experiences has been essential. Alok Siddhi Tuladhar, a cultural activist, says his birthday would have been a lonely and isolating day for both him and his parents if not for platforms that enable virtual connection. Because he tested Covid-19 positive, though asymptomatic, he chose to celebrate his birthday at home with only his wife and son. His elderly parents watched his wife perform the birthday puja from their house across the city over video chat. Tuladhar says he thinks “technology helped us to fill the gap that comes with social distancing when we are unable to visit each other physically.”  Although technology has helped fill that gap for some, its impact in a post-pandemic world is yet to be seen. Rajani Maharjan is an environmental anthropologist affiliated with the Small Earth Nepal (SEN), an environmental research group.Madison Wrobley is a 2019-2020 Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellow who studies water insecurity, primarily in Kathmandu Valley, and is now based in Colorado.

With temples locked up, Nepalis improvise

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b746d9c7e80680e062393jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1008"/><figcaption>Photo : MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>German architect and curator <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coming-out-of-the-woodwork/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wolfgang Korn</a> first came to Nepal in 1974 to work on the Bhaktapur Project. But it was not until the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/coming-out-of-the-woodwork/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015 earthquake</a> that he met Nepali archaeologist Sukra Sagar Shrestha amidst the rubble of the Nautale Darbar. The two found a common passion for heritage conservation, and in particular saving the erotic art in Kathmandu Valley temples.The earthquake brought down many of these monuments, and their meticulously carved wooden struts were strewn among the debris. Korn and Shrestha realised how precious and fragile the carvings were, and set about carefully collecting, photographing and documenting them. The result is the book Erotic Carvings of the Kathmandu Valley Found on the Struts of Newar Temples, an exhaustive collection of the priceless items rescued from the quake debris five years ago, but also a catalogue of all possible positions of sexual congress. (Caution: Some readers may find the content of this book too explicit.)Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-new-age-of-romance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The new age of romance</a>, Alisha SijapatiThe first part of the book analyses the evolution of erotic art in Hindu-Buddhist Tantric theology and mysticism, from its antecedents in Vatsayana’s Kamasutra, through the eroticism of the temples of Khajuraho and Konarak in India, right up to the eruption of temple building in Malla-era Nepal 500 years ago.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b74719c7e80680e062394jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="695"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b74739c7e80680e062395jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="428"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b74759c7e80680e062396jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2000" height="666">The authors discuss various reasons for ubiquitous erotica. Some have explained these carvings in terms of the importance of the Shiva-Shakti sexual union in Hinduism as a symbol of spiritual fulfillment.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/selling-sex-tourism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Selling sex tourism</a>, the AssOthers suggest they provided sex education for young people who congregated at temple squares during festivals. These explanations, however, do not account for the level of obscenity in these carvings, and the fact that many of them depict practices that are deviant by any standards.Some argue that the carvings actually depict the do’s and dont’s of acceptable sexual behaviour. And the most common explanation is that the shocking acts shown here are meant to be too disgusting even for evil spirits, who would then spare the temples in question from lightning strikes or earthquakes.But that did not protect the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-monumental-rivalry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nautale Darbar</a> in Kathmandu and the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/learning-from-nepals-past-to-rebuild-its-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Char Narayan Temple</a> in Patan from destruction in the earthquake of 25 April 2015. Both had some of the most sexually explicit carvings in Kathmandu Valley on their eaves and corner struts, including orgiastic scenes, bestiality, and the use of sex toys.Shrestha rescued and cleaned the struts at Char Narayan, and Korn painstakingly photographed them to be catalogued in this book along with sketches based on them by Roshan Dongol and Ekaram Singh. The restoration of Char Narayan was completed by Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust this month.Sukra Sagar Shrestha passed away in 2017, leaving behind much of the research for this book. His daughter, Silu Shrestha, writes in the Foreword: ‘My father was worried that no heritage conservation expert would dare write about erotic carvings of Newar temples, but he and Wolfgang did it because of their love for heritage.’<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101132/636b74789c7e80680e062397jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="325">Erotic Carvings of the Kathmandu ValleyFound on the Struts of Newar TempleRaju Rokka 2019217 pages   Rs 2,750

Kunda Dixit

Love of heritage

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110814110/636a52e89c7e80680e052320jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1119"/><figcaption>PAST GLORY: Bhasmeswar Mahadev Temple before it was destroyed by the 1934 earthquake, with Uma Maheswar on the left and Patan Darbar behind it. Pic: DHARMA MAHARJAN AND OTHERS</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110814110/636a52ec9c7e80680e052321jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Contractors were using an excavator to dig a new community water storage tank in Patan’s Mangal Bazar last month when they unearthed an ancient sunken water spout.Legend had it that the Sumangal Dhara spout had water with such miraculous qualities that kings who washed there were granted their wish. The kings of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/bhaktapur-shows-the-way-by-rebuilding-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bhaktapur</a> got jealous and asked the Patan king for a favour: build a Shiva temple above the very spout.Being a close kin of the Malla clan, the Patan royal ended up burying the spout to build the temple of Bhasmeswar Mahadev, thus depriving himself of the water that could deliver miracles.The legend survives to this day, but neither the temple nor the water spout do. The small domed shrine replaced the grand shikhara-style stone temple destroyed in 1934, and the Sumangal Dhara was rediscovered last month only to be hurriedly reburied for the concrete lining of the new water tank.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110814110/636a52ee9c7e80680e052322jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="125" height="200">At a time when there are protests about the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/culture-revolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guthi</a> Bill, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/resurrecting-rani-pokhari-right/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rani Pokhari</a> and other heritage sites threatened by modern infrastructure, there has been little outrage about Sumangal and Bhasmeswar at the Patan World Heritage Site.Read Also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/The-beginning-of-history,3225" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The beginning of history</a>, Rishi Amatya<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/patans-hidden-treasures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Patan’s hidden treasures</a>, Sonia Awale<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2017/12/28/reconstruction-of-rani-pokhari-halted/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reconstruction of Rani Pokhari halted</a>, Nepali Times<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110814110/636a52ef9c7e80680e052323jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The temple was probably built in the 16th century, and after being destroyed in 1934 was hastily replaced by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/the-rana-reign-a-recap-of-history,3751" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Juddha Shumsher</a>’s administration, smaller in size and different in structure.“Back then, the principles of heritage conservation and reconstruction were not followed, and no one thought of preserving the original structure,” said Kaji Pyakurel of the Department of Architecture (DoA).The legend of the sunken spout that could perform miracles resurfaced this June as the government began digging up the area. The stone ruins of the Sumangal Dhara surfaced with a brick lining, a stone floor and two pieces of stone spouts.“It seemed to be the historical spout, but the dozer had already damaged some of the structure and it was monsoon season, so we could not investigate further,” Pyakurel said. The historic site has now been covered with concrete to create a park on top of the reservoir.“When the earthquake struck in 2015, we realised that open spaces are valuable,” said Sumendra Tamrakar, who owns a tea shop next to the proposed park and did not seemed unduly concerned about the historical importance of the site. “This open space was not being used. Once it is turned into a park with benches, tourists could enjoy the view of Patan Darbar Square from here, and that would be a boost for our business.”Ward Chair Narayan Lal Awale also did not seem much bothered. He told us: “Reconstructing that stone spout today does not make sense. The square has changed since the Malla era. If we have water coming out from there now, there is no place for it to flow. It would become a garbage dump. We want to be practical rather than sentimental about what serves the needs of the people better.”Awale insists the DoA is responsible for conservation or reconstruction of the stone spout, and that the ward office has taken care to construct the water tank away from it so that the archaeological remains are undisturbed. The DoA claims the ward office was unauthorised to dig there in the first place, and Patan could lose its World Heritage listing with such development.Asked why this Malla-era gem lies neglected, the ward office and DoA are in agreement — they say there is too little information to act on. “We cannot just start rebuilding this temple on a hunch. There were no remaining pieces, and no records of what it looked like,” Awale claimed.However, old photos and sketches of the temple do exist, and heritage conservationists say that the real reason behind this reluctance to preserve the temple and spout is that no one sees personal benefit in it.“There were angry protests about the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/street-vs-guthi-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guthi Bill</a> because it involved expensive urban real estate. But there is no personal property or money to be made here, and no one cares about faith,” laments Patan resident and culture expert Hariram Joshi, 84.Joshi was born two years after the 1934 earthquake, so he did not see the temple and spout in their full glory. But he knows enough of local history to be sure that the Bhasmeswar and the Uma Maheswar temple next to it were grand stone monuments. With the nearby <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Monumental-loss,2215" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Radha Krishna</a> temple, the three were the holy trinity of Patan.“Of course, they both should be reconstructed so that our heritage can be preserved,” says Joshi. “But our government has totally ignored this landmark of vital importance, which is a sad thing.”

Selective outrage about heritage loss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cucFTrSTSmcWhen an 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck Kathmandu Valley on 15 January 1934, killing more than 10,000 people, among the destroyed structures was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/learning-from-nepals-past-to-rebuild-its-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 17th-century Bhaidega temple</a> in Patan. The three-tier pagoda temple was quickly rebuilt, but in the Moghul stucco dome style.Eighty-one years later, the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT), with support from the Norwegian Embassy, had just started <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/norway-restoration-project-patan-durbar-square-bhaidegah,2179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restoring Bhaidega</a> in its original tri-pyramid design when the 25 April 2015 earthquake hit. Four temples nearby went down.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-monumental-rivalry/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reconstruction of temples</a> that were destroyed in both 1934 and 2015 are now simultaneously nearing completion in Patan,  drawing attention to how damage from the two earthquakes often overlap in Kathmandu Valley.“There was so much destruction here in 1934 that many of temples were quickly rebuilt in the Moghul style, but finally Bhaidega is being restored to its original glory,” says Rohit Ranjitkar of KVPT. <figure><img width="1400" height="786" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108121140/636a405e9c7e80680e04a617jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>OLD IS GOLD: Artisans busy rebuilding Patan's Bhaidega temple to its original design. Pic: Hrijata Dahal</figcaption></figure>Architecture is much more than the sum of its structural elements, and nowhere is this more true than in Kathmandu Valley’s historic monuments. The structures go well beyond physical materials like wood, stone and bricks, and include intangibles that give them inter-generational continuity. After 2015 devotees continued to worship their gods amidst the ruins of destroyed temples.Located at the western edge of Patan Square, the  three-storey Bhaidega was supported by exquisitely carved wooden struts and capped by a golden pinnacle. After 1934, Nepal’s Rana rulers rebuilt it to less than half its size using the cut-and-paste Moghul dome design like other damaged structures in the Valley.Luckily, many carved eaves, columns and stone carvings at the base were preserved, and have  featured in Bhaidega restoration. Nearly 20 artisans from Bhaktapur and Patan are hard at work at the site re-carving the missing pieces. <figure><img width="1400" height="534" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108121140/636a40609c7e80680e04a618jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1400" height="547" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108121140/636a40639c7e80680e04a619jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The temple is named after its creator, Bhagirath Bhaiya, a commoner who rose to prominence in Patan and built the structure in 1687, dedicating it to the Bishwanath form of Lord Shiva. It is the only temple in Darbar Square not commissioned by a king.“It was a travesty that such an important monument was not rebuilt in its original design after 1934,” says Ranjitkar.Fortunately, there were some grainy black-and-white photographs taken before 1934 as well as meticulous sketches by Henry Ambrose Oldfield, a surgeon at the British Residency in Lazimpat in the 1850s, which showed the original form of the temple.“Without Oldfield’s drawings, we might not have known what the original looked like or that it had been altered,” explains Ranjitkar.Based on these early records, restoration work began in January 2015 with a ritual Chhyama Puja performed by tantrik priests. But within three months, the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/04/25/massive-earthquake-rattles-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7.8 magnitude quake</a> struck, destroying many of the temples that had survived 1934. The priority shifted to rebuilding the other Patan temples and work on Bhaidega was delayed.KVPT has tried to salvage as much of the original material as possible for the reconstruction, but for new wooden columns and struts the right kind of timber was needed and artisans with carving skills had to be located.  <figure><img width="640" height="878" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108121140/636a40659c7e80680e04a61ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1000" height="1100" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108121140/636a40689c7e80680e04a61bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Earthquakes have actually helped keep the ancient craftsmanship of Kathmandu alive because of the need to rebuild temples and monuments. However, Ranjitkar is worried that the traditional skills required are disappearing and it will be difficult to find expertise in future.Reconstruction of Bhaidega is expected to be completed by November 2020, with support from Lalitpur Municipality and Prithvi B Pande of Nepal Investment Bank.  KVPT is also involved in rebuilding nearby Char Narayan, Hari Shankar and Krishna Mandir temples and other monuments like Mul Chok and Sundari Chok.KVPT believes in transparency in its projects – quite literally. The artisans crafting pieces for Bhaidega work behind a see-through plastic fence so passersby can observe the skill and devotion needed to build these ancient temples.There are other structures in Patan Darbar Square that were also rebuilt after 1934 with stucco domes and need to be rebuilt in the original <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/In-perfect-harmony,3251" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shikhara or pagoda styles</a>. The Mangal Bazar police station itself is where a large shikhara temple once stood.Says Ranjitkar: “Our immediate focus was on Bhaidega as there were sketches and photographs of the original structures. Earthquakes happen once in a generation, and what matters is how we rebuild after each. If we fail to maintain our <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/restoring-bhai-dega-temple-in-patan,4046" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tangible heritage</a>, we will weaken our <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/saving-the-intangible,3303" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intangible heritage</a>.”

Good as old after two earthquakes

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36e19c7e80680e048331jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="507"/><figcaption>Panauti in 2013. Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>The 13-century town of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10973#.XMai0zAzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Panauti</a> has the ambience of a place that has been bypassed by history. The fertile valley along the Rosi Khola was given by the king of Bhaktapur as dowry to his newly-married sister.  However, archaeological finds prove that Panauti was settled much sooner, in the early Kirat period 1,500 years ago.It escaped the Gorkha invasion of the Valley, 30km to the west, and was annexed into the unified Kingdom of Nepal by default. Situated astride the India-Tibet trade route, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/electing-better-future,3714" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Panauti</a> was set back far enough from it not to be tainted by commerce. In 1964, the Kodari Highway linking Nepal with China once more circumvented Panauti. Today, a new alternative road from Lalitpur to the B P Highway in Kavre passes through the town, but it is still not a major highway.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36e49c7e80680e048332jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="170" height="250"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36e49c7e80680e048333jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Panauti in 1970s. Photo: GERARD TOFFIN</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36e89c7e80680e048334jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Panauti today. Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36ec9c7e80680e048335jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Photo: GERARD TOFFIN</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36ef9c7e80680e048336jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>All this has meant that despite the march of modernity and the non-traditional reconstruction after many of its monuments were brought down by the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015 earthquake</a>, Panauti still retains much of its quaint and bucolic charm. The town has a sacred location at the confluence of the Rosi Khola and the Punyamati, as well as a third mythological river, Lilawati. Panauti is also the seat of the famous Indreswar Temple – one of Nepal’s oldest standing pagoda shrines, built in 1294 to honour Lord Shiva. The temple grounds now house a museum as well.Panauti also has intangible heritage: it is still a largely cohesive town, which has preserved its Newa culture that has similarities, but also differences, to Kathmandu Valley traditions. Piles of newly harvested paddy are still spread out to dry in golden circles along the brick-paved square of the old palace. Next month, on full moon day, the town will mark the three-day chariot festival and the exciting mass-crossing of the Punyamati by devotees.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36f29c7e80680e048337jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="434"><figcaption>Picture taken in 1974. Photo: GERARD TOFFIN</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36f59c7e80680e048338jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="390"><figcaption>Harvested paddy is still spread out to dry in golden circles along the old palace today. Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>This year will also see the Makar Mela, which happens every 12 years in Panauti, when tens of thousands of people from surrounding districts -- including Kathmandu Valley -- will converge on the town to take a dip in the holy confluence of the rivers.  The month-long festival will be held in January.It was at the last Makar Mela in 2010 that Panauti native and photographer Prasant Shrestha met <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13550#.XMZ2d8Mza70">Gerard Toffin</a>, the French anthropologist who has researched Nepal’s Newa civilisation. Toffin is now emeritus professor at the <a href="http://www.cnrs.fr/en/research">Centre national de recherche scientifique (CNRS)</a> and was involved in detailed research of Panauti’s culture and architecture with Vincent Barré, Patrick Berger and Laurence Feveile. This led to French Government involvement in the restoration of Panauti and its urban renewal from 1979-1989, just as the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/clash-of-cultures-in-bhaktapur/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Germans were involved in restoring Bhaktapur</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36f89c7e80680e048339jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="1016"><figcaption>Bramhayani temple in 1970s. Photo: GERARD TOFFIN</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36fb9c7e80680e04833ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="1021"><figcaption>Bramhayani temple today. Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>To find out more about Panauti’s past, present and perhaps even the future, Shrestha and Toffin have collaborated on an exhibition of old and new photographs at the Alliance Française in Jhamsikhel, on display till 6 May. The exhibition is part of events to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Nepal.Toffin’s photographs of Panauti from the 1970s are juxtaposed with Shrestha’s recent images from the same spot. The before-and-after photography depicts the changes that have taken place in the town in the past four decades, but it is also heartening to see how much of the core area of Panauti is preserved. In fact, a temple that is in ruins after the 1934 earthquake in Toffin’s photograph, has been meticulously restored in Shrestha’s image of the same shrine.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a36fe9c7e80680e04833bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Photo: GERARD TOFFIN</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a37019c7e80680e04833cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="426"><figcaption>Photo: PRASANT SHRESTHA</figcaption></figure>Says Shrestha: “We have managed to restore and salvage much of Panauti’s history and culture, and now we need to get the younger generation to value our heritage. That is why this exhibition is important: to prove that our past is precious.”Changes in PanautiPhoto ExhibitionTill 6 May, 9am-5pm<a href="http://www.alliancefrancaise.org.np/event/photo-exhibition-changes-in-panauti/">Alliance Française Kathmandu</a>Jhamsikhel  01 5009221Free Entry<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110812110/636a37049c7e80680e04833djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="283">

Ancient Panauti’s French Connection

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/636903349c7e80680e037cabjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="934"/><figcaption>Photos: SONIA AWALE</figcaption></figure>Mahendra Shakya had been in Boston for seven years in 1992 when he came across Monk, Householder, and Tantric Priest: Newar Buddhism and its Hierarchy of Ritual by David N Gellner. He felt ashamed of himself.Here was a Western academic who had studied the culture of his own neighbourhood Buddhist monastery Hiranya Varna Mahavihar in Patan, and yet as a native he knew next to nothing about it.Shakya returned to Nepal two years later, started the Momo King chain but couldn’t sustain the business because of the war.He finally found his true calling: heritage tourism. Unlike other hotels that recreate Newari culture, he decided to embed himself in his ancestral neighbourhood, in the midst of Patan’s holiest Buddhist temples: Maha Boudha and the Hiranya monastery.“By being right in the middle of it all we can give our guests a genuine feel for authentic Newari heritage,” he says of his new hotel Heranya Yala. Shakya also owns Heranya Hotel Lazimpat, opened three years ago.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/636903389c7e80680e037cacjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Carpenters were hard at work this week, putting finishing touches for next Thursday’s soft opening of the hotel, built where Shakya’s ancestral home used to be before the 2015 earthquake. Much of the brick, wood and stone in the hotel’s elegant design were salvaged from the old brick and mortar structure.Heranya Yala is located at the 12th century stone spout of Thapa Hiti in Patan, and is a short walk from Mangal Bazar, and several Buddhist monasteries and temples.Low doors lead through narrow corridors into wide bahals and bahis, where devotees worship every morning and evening and the sound of chanting and devotional music emanates from the lattice windows.Shakya’s hotel has Buddhist motifs everywhere, including astamangal signs carved and painted on the exterior. Inside the rooms are well appointed, with double-glaze windows that filter the street noise and provide insulation. The hotel is a cocoon of tranquillity amidst the hustle and bustle of inner city Patan, where the only sound in the courtyards is of prayer cymbals, and only the smell is of incense.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110714118/6369033b9c7e80680e037cadjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="359">The eight rooms are bright, with Newari motifs, and through the windows offer views of the bahal, hiti and street through which the Machindranath Chariot passes every year. Shakya has thought of everything -- even an Amsterdam-style suitcase hoist for the upper floors.“My target clients are those who have a deep understanding of and appreciation for culture and heritage,” adds Shakya.There is more to Patan than just Darbar Square.”Indeed, the hotel could provide a unique cultural base camp to explore Patan’s little-known religious sites, and would be ideal for tourists tired of one-size-fits-all hotel rooms, Nepal-based expats, and Nepalis.“The residents of Kathmandu could come to Patan as weekend tourists, why not?” asks Shakya.The in-house restaurant Omrit, named after the Amritbarna Mahabihar shrine outside, has a rich menu of Newari delicacies: kwati, chaku, chatamari, yomari, as well as a healthy choice of continental. The restaurant also serves a 12-course Newari bhoj dinner as well as the aila rice spirit made by neighbours.Says Shakya: “Much of Patan is still a hidden treasure. And what could be a better way to preserve the heritage of my own neighbourhood than through cultural tourism?”Heranya Yala opens from 16 August at $90 per night at booking.com.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/gambling-on-the-future/">Gambling on the future</a>, Sikuma Rai<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2018/02/07/no-tiger-no-mountain/">No tiger, no mountain</a>, Kunda Dixit

temples