Nepal Napichandra Mahavihara Buddhist Monument Restored
On Monday, Nepal held a formal celebration to mark the reopening of the Shree Napichandra Mahavihara, a fifth-century Buddhist monastery and shrine commonly referred to as Duntu Bahi, in the city of Lalitpur in the Kathmandu Valley.
The earthquakes that occurred in Nepal on 25 April and 12 May 2015 caused immense destruction, resulting in the death of almost 9,000 individuals, wounding more than 21,000, and forcing millions to flee their homes.
Among the many structures that were damaged was the Napichandra Mahavihara, an ancient monastery and temple.
The mayor of Lalitpur, Chiri Babu Maharjan, and the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, presided over the inauguration of the restoration of the historical site.
The project was funded by the Indian government’s post-earthquake reconstruction grant for Nepal’s cultural heritage sector, amounting to 38.4 million Nepali rupees (US$288,900).
Technical assistance was provided by the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH), according to reports from local media.
