They said though the king, Lal Bahadur Kusunda, has been living in a new house built by the government in nearby Sakhi village, his previous house at Tunibot has been dilapidated. “We want to preserve the old house to preserve our local cultural heritage though the government built a three-room house for the Kusunda king,” local Chandra Bahadur Pun said, adding that such move could also attract tourists and help researchers learn about the Kusundas’ past.

After the government enlisted the Kusunda community as the most endangered one, local Division office of the Department of Urban Development & Building Construction had built the new house on one ropani land for the king and got him married three years ago.

According to Pun, Lal Bahadur did not settle at a place permanently but roamed around forests following his forefathers’ footsteps.  “It was only after years of effort of local residents that he finally agreed to marry and settle in the village,” he said. The Kusunda king now lives in his new house with his wife Belmati and they also

have a daughter. The villagers, however, said they want a son from the couple so that their lineage would be continued.

Local teacher Dambar Thapa, who is also a close aid of the king, said the state has not done anything to preserve the king’s birth home. The old house has almost turned into ruins and utensils and other things can be found lying around in the house as the king had not taken anything with him while moving to the new residence.

According to locals, the Kusundas, also called the king of the forests, essentially roamed around forests and helped villagers in their work to eke out a living. Lal Bahadur’s forefathers are said to have come to the village around a century ago from Salyan.

Former chairman of Dubring VDC, Krishna Bahadur Chand, who also claims to share the Kusunda lineage, said that Lal Bahadur’s forefathers did not settle permanently at a place and thus they did not have many children to continue their lineage.

He said Lal Bahadur is the only son of his parents and his sister Kamala is married to local Bhim Bhahdur Chhetri.