Works to restore and conserve the Seto Machhindranath Temple, which was damaged in the 2015 earthquake, began amid a ceremony in the Capital on Sunday.

The restoration of the historic temple is being carried out with grant assistance from the government of India.

In a statement on Sunday, the Embassy of India said that a bhoomi pooja was performed to launch the Seto Machhindranath Temple restoration work.

Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Sushil Gyewali and Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya, among other officials from the NRA, the Department of Archaeology, Hanumandhoka Museum and temple committee members, attended the ceremony.

According to the statement, the temple’s restoration is the first of 28 cultural heritage conservation projects being undertaken with a reconstruction grant of Rs 5.8 billion committed by the Government of India.

“All the 28 sites were identified by the Government of Nepal and both India and Nepal signed an MoU in this regard in August 2017,” read the statement.

The temple will be restored using goods close to the original building materials as per the traditional ethos, local traditions and values that sustain and enrich such heritage sites in Nepal, the embassy stated.

The Seto Machhindranath Temple will be conserved as per Nepal’s Ancient Monument Preservation Act, and the Department of Archaeology’s Basic Guidelines and Manual for conservation and reconstruction of heritage sites affected by the 2015 earthquake, it was stated.