Reconstruction of Bhairavi Temple, a shrine located atop a hill near the historic seven-storey Nuwakot Palace, has finally begun. The temple was badly damaged in the April 25 earthquake last year.

Director General of Department of Archaeology Bhesh Narayan Dahal and craftsman Jujubhai Nagarkoti of Kathmandu jointly laid the foundation stone amid a function on Saturday. Priests and temple staff performed a special pooja on the occasion.

The temple, which lies in Bidur Municipality-3, is one of the important and famous shrines built about 500 years ago. It is believed that King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s men performed a special pooja in the temple before he started the unification campaign.

The reconstruction cost is estimated at Rs 46.3 million, according to the Bhairavi Temple Bhajan Mandal, an organisation responsible for preserving the shrine.  

Narayan Man Dangol, the chairman of the mandal, the laying of the foundation stone has cleared doubts over the reconstruction of the temple. Despite the late start, he hopes reconstruction works will gather a momentum and complete soon.

Helambu locals demand rebuilding of gumbas

SINDHUPALCHOK: Local people in Helambu, a tourist destination in Sindhupalchok district, have called on the concerned authorities to reconstruct Buddhist gumbas ravaged by last year’s devastating earthquake in the area.

The villagers complained that the government did not take any initiatives to rebuild the gumbas even more than a year after the disaster.

They said the gumbas need to be reconstructed to preserve the historic heritages and promote tourism. A number of gumbas had been a big draw among visiting tourists.

“Flow of tourists, both international and domestic, has decreased significantly as the government did not take any initiatives for their restoration,” said Karma Tapke Lama of Helambu. Consequently, the livelihood of the locals, who largely depend on tourism, have also been greatly affected, he added.

According to the locals, Helambu used to receive 100 to 150 tourists a day before the earthquake, but the numbers have since taken a dive.

“There are around a dozen hotels and restaurants in Helambu. Most of the hoteliers have rebuilt the facilities on their own to welcome tourists,” said Chhiring Lama, former VDC chairman of Helambu.