A private project to renovate three temples at Hanumandhoka

By Razen Manandhar

KATHMANDU, Oct 8 - While government bodies are working in a snail’s pace to preserve the city’s cultural heritage, a non-government organisation has taken the responsibility to renovate three ancient temples at the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square.

The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT), an NGO working in the field of heritage conservation, has received the permission to renovate the temples of Jagannath, Indrapur and Narayan and beautify the Durbar Square maintaining its archaeological importance. KVPT is spending over Rs. 20 million from different national and international donors.

Among them is the 438-year-old temple of Jagannath, known for its beautiful struts with erotic carvings. Constructed by King Mahendra Malla in 1563, this temple is considered to be the oldest structure that remains intact in the area. Pratap Malla introduced Indian style idols of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balaram in the eastern doorframe of the inner quadrangle of the temple.

King Pratap Malla constructed the temple of Indrapur in 1650 while the temple of Narayan was added in the late 17th century as mentioned in history books.

KVPT had to wait for almost 18 months to get permission from the Department of Archaeology, the prime government body that controls and preserves historic monuments.

It finally got the permission to renovate three major temples of the World Heritage Site a month ago but the Trust waited till the Indrajatra to begin the field works, said Rohit Ranjitkar, an architect of KVPT.

Now that the running around for government permission has finished, the project has already begun its works. And it will take some four years to complete the project, according to Ranjitkar.

"We will do our best to maintain their historical values when we replace the ruined parts with new ones," said Ranjitkar. "Though it will increase the cost by more than two times, we will let the history live in the temples."

Ranjitkar said the project would not bring the whole structures down, as it will only ruin its original beauty.

Most of the temples and buildings of the 12th-century-palace collapsed during the 1934 earthquake and the then Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumshere painstakingly renovated them from the national treasure.

Pictures taken before the earthquake shows that the Narayan temple collapsed to the foundation whereas only the first floors of other two temples fell down due to the 8 rector scale earthquake, according to Ranjitkar.

He said the barandah of Indrapur, the third floor of Narayan temple and the doorsteps of Jagannath temples are different from the pre-earthquake pictures. "The renovation will try to bring back the shapes of pre-earthquake monuments by using old pictures," said Ranjitkar.

The trust has spent more than a year in documentation of the temples of the Hanumandhoka area. "Such detail documents will be useful even to reconstruct such temples in future and let people understand their value," Ranjitkar said.

KVPT intends to uplift the archaeological environment of the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square - from cleaning to raising awareness for the locals and erecting an information stall either for the tourists or for the locals.

KVPT has the experience of renovating Radhakrishna temple, Kwalakhu Pati, Patukwa Aganchhen, Lakhe Aganchhen and Kulima Narayan temple in the Patan area.

Maoist abducted ML activist’s release sought

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Oct 8 - The Communist Party of Nepal Marxist and Leninist (CPN-ML) today issued a press release condemning the abduction of its member by the Maoists. The party also demanded immediate release of its abducted cadre Dr. Chandra Bahadur Thapa.

According to the press release, undersigned by party general secretary Bam Dev Gautam, Thapa, a member of the National Council of the party was abducted from his home at Belchautara of Tanahun district on Sunday evening.

Dr Thapa had refused to give any contributions demanded by the Maoists and had been warned of action by them, states the release.

"At the time when the Maoists and the government have come to understanding to stop violent activities, the Maoists are violating the understanding," the release adds.

Similarly, another release issued by CPN-ML District Committee Tanahun condemns the abduction of Thapa and appeals to all Human Rights Organisations to work for his release. However, the press statement states that since no one has claimed the responsibility for the abduction so far, it cannot be said who the culprits are.

Now Puran recital by woman

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KATHMANDU, Oct 8 - Purans (legends) are usually recited by pundits. But at the Jaybageshwori temple at Gaushala, Sushma Sharma Baral is seen reciting the Adhikmas Puran, a month-long performance.

Baral is considered to be the first woman to recite the puran. "Usually they are pundits, the men, who read and narrate the stories of puran but because of my keen interest and my dedication towards the Almighty, I have also started the trend of reciting the purans," says Baral.

Baral, 40, is a mother of three children and a granddaughter of great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota. She is taking only fruits and milk once a day during this whole month-long festival.

The Adhikmas Puran is usually recited during Purushottam month that comes once in every 32 months, which this year falls from September 17 to October 16.

According to Baral, if Adhikmas Mahapuran is performed, the departed souls of the untimely dead people would get eternal peace. "The puja (offering) will give peace to the departed souls of Royal Family and goodwill to all the Nepalese people."

"As our country is believed to be the cursed country by Sati (a legendary woman who sacrificed herself by plunging into the funeral pyre of her dead husband), I have pledged to grow the Jamara (a sacred plant) on my chest from the very day of Ghatasthapana," says Baral."So that the curse could be removed."

There is a tell - tale story that at the same place, years ago, Bhimshen Thapa’s wife had also cursed Nepal for undevelopment before dying as Sati during the funeral service of her dead husband.

And from Ghatasthapana onwards Baral is going to grow Jamara on her chest, by giving up all the regular daily activities till Dashami. For ten days (October17-26) Baral is also observing Maun Brata (keeping mum) and Gupta Bas/Samadhi ( living solitary life).

On this occasion, Baral has appealed to all the Nepali women to participate in the function by keeping at home brass trishul (trident) and coconut. Baral would purify the trishul with 1.1 million spells. "This trishul after its purification would protect the home from evil eyes," says Baral. Therefore, people take it to their home and keep it as God’s gift.

According to Baral, if the offered coconut is cracked and milk comes out, it is believed that Goddess has accepted the offer.

During the last two years Baral has grown jamara on her palms and head and this year on the chest on the occasion of Ghatasthapana.

On the last day (Purnima) of the fasting, all the women who have kept the trishul at home participate in the peace rally praying for the good will of the country, says Baral.

Smuggling continues along Nepal-India border

By J Pandey & Kamal Panthi

PADERIYA (Bardiya), Oct 8 - Despite the deployment of Indian paramilitary forces with a view to controlling illegal activities along the Nepal-India border, trans-border smuggling is still on the rise, a report received here said.

Nepali villagers living close to the Nepal-India border are scared of the Indian paramilitary forces after they allegedly encouraged people engaged in trans-border crimes and smuggling.

The Indian paramilitary forces were deployed along the Nepal-India open border since September 16, what the Indian officials say, "control such crimes."

The Indian paramilitary forces are staying in a tent nearly 20 metres away from the no-man’s land and close to this tiny frontier village. Locals said the forces have encouraged smuggling instead of controlling it.

Tikaram Poudel, a local of the village, said the Indian forces have developed a nexus with the smugglers from both the countries, let alone controlling the trans-border smuggling and crimes.

He added that a person who reportedly came out of the tent dropped a bag full of illegal goods in front of his house and disappeared. "I thought the bag was dropped at my house to frame me," he said, "How can I believe them that they are here to curb such illegal activities?"

Locals said that even after the forces were deployed along the border, cross-the-border smuggling had not abated; rather it had been systematically operated. Dozens of people engaged in smuggling are seen ferrying illegal goods from Indian towns, locals of Paderiya said. They said Indian paramilitary forces also received hush-money from the organised gang of smugglers as the border police used to do in the past.

"The smugglers also threat us to death if we attempt to resist them. Those people travel to Nepal in a group carrying illegal goods on their backs from Indian border towns of Balai. But the Indian forces do not even inquire them," said Indramani Rijal of Jamuni VDC-1.

Locals said that some explosives were also smuggled into Nepal via this village a few months ago. Sources also said some of the houses in Nepal have been converted into a warehouse for keeping the smuggled goods. Sugar, chemical fertilisers, tobacco, cosmetics items, electric wires and hardware and alike are commonly smuggled into Nepal from Balai in India.

A Nepali youth engaged in the trans-border smuggling for quite a long time said on condition of anonymity that the smugglers regularly pay grafts to the customs officials of both the sides to ensure their businesses unobstructed.

"A new person who entres into this clandestine venture is given a cheat of paper with a signature and seal attached to it and no customs officials and police prevent him from ferrying such goods," he added.

More than that, sometimes, the Indian police enter Nepali villages to collect their kickbacks from Nepali smugglers if they fail to do on the border. Last week, eight Indian police personnel entered a Nepali village to collect their share for bringing buffaloes from India, locals said.

Peltric sets cause death and damage

Post Report

TEHRATHUM, Oct 8 - People who were using electricity generated from peltric sets are greatly apprehensive following the destruction of all the peltric sets, which were used in generating the power, by lightning.

Many groups have come to the conclusion that they would no more instal the peltric sets after this experience.

Lightning hit the peltric sets established by the group of Rudra Prasad Dhakal of Majuwa in Oyakjung VDC-8. The smoke was seen in the houses of all those who had peltric sets after they were hit by the lightning which killed Biswonath Dhakal, Durga Maya Jogi and Purna Bahadur Jogi.

Other six people who are undergoing treatment at the hospital have not recovered their health properly.

Lightning hit the peltric set at Pounthak VDC-2 about six months ago and killed Shantmaya Limbu and seriously injured other 12 people.

The next day lightning hit the peltric sets of Chandra Prasad Dhakal group at Oyakjung VDC-1 and the spurt of smoke seen in each home damaged the houses of all members of the group.

Similarly, the electric smoke hit all the houses where the electricity was connected

after the peltric sets of different VDCs including that of Samdu VDC were hit damaging all the houses.

All the farmers who made use of peltric sets to instal electricity in their homes are in a state of panic when the lightning started hitting the houses one by one.

The rural areas of Tehrathum district were deprived of electricity facility from the central grid and local small hydro-power projects. They had therefore launched a campaign to harness electricity by procuring loan from Agriculture Development Bank.

The campaign to instal peltric set started here five years ago. In almost every houses where water was available ,electricity has been provided through peltric sets.

A total of 260 kilowatt power has been generated by installing 106 peltric sets and 13,391 people of 2,120 houses were using electricity in different VDCs including Oyakjung, Pounthak, Jaljale, Solma, Jirikhimti, Morahang, Shreejung, Angdin and Basantpur.

However, when they sustained damage after the peltric sets were hit by lightning this year, farmers are demanding that they would return the sets to Krishna Grill Engineering Works, Biratnagar, which had supplied the sets. They are also demanding that the loan received by them from the bank be waived.

Some customers of peltric sets who have lost their relatives are venting their anger against Krishna Grill Engineering Works, Biratnagar for not doing their works perfectly.

They have charged that the lightning had hit the peltric sets because Krishna Grill Engineering Works, Biratnagar had supplied them without using necessary equipment.

Four people have lost their lives and dozens of others have been injured and disabled as a result of lightning strike in this district in one year.

On the other hand, lightning has not hit any of the peltric sets which were supplied by Kathmandu Metal Industries, Kshetrapati.

The customers claim that the company which supplied the technically defective peltric sets should pay adequate compensation to the affected people for the damages.

Maoist workers lock 28 VDCs in Jumla

Post Report

JUMLA, Oct 8 - At a time when the talks between the government and the CPN (Maoist) are going on, Maoist workers have locked 28 of the total 30 VDCs in Jumla district.

The two VDC offices which they have not locked are Chandannath and Mahat VDCs, headquarters of the district.

Various activities of the district, including construction and development, agreement for development projects, recommendation for citizenship certificates, migration, foodgrain and salt etc. have been hampered as a result of the closure of the VDC offices.

Some VDC secretaries told The Kathmandu Post on condition of anonymity that they had carried the office seal and letter pad at home and are helping the people in their works from their homes.

The VDC secretaries are currently staying at the district headquarters after their VDC offices were locked.

Vegetable crops worth Rupees 1.5m destroyed

Post Report

MORANG, Oct 8 - The week-long continuous rainfall that hit this district recently has destroyed the vegetable crops carried out on a professional scale valued at about Rs 1,500,000.

According to the chief of the Agriculture Service Centre Katahari, Hukum Lal Singh, the vegetable farming had been developed three years ago at a pocket package area in Katahari and Sisabani Jahada VDCs by District Agriculture Development Office Morang.

Different kinds of vegetables grown on 2,200 bighas of land were destroyed by the recent rain causing such a huge loss.

Four thousand families of Katahari and Sisabani Jahada VDCs had been engaged in growing the vegetables over the last three decades on a professional scale.

They were growing vegetables worth Rs 350,000 daily, Singh added.

Ram Kumar Shah of Katahari VDC-9 said he used to sell vegetables worth about Rs 8,000 daily before it was destroyed by rain. He said that the rain destroyed his vegetables worth Rs 50,000.

About 400 families of the VDC were growing vegetables in their plots of land ranging from five katthas to 10 bighas of land, but all their vegatable farms have been destroyed by the rain..

Ten identified in Dang bus accident

GHORAHI (Dang), Oct 8 (PR) - Police have identified the bodies of 10 of the 11 passengers killed in a fatal bus accident on the Lamahi-Tulsipur highway near Musot river on Sunday. The body of another passenger is yet to be identified.

Police said that there were more than 50 people travelling in the ill-fated bus en route to Nepalgunj from Tulsipur in Dang.

According to Mahendra hospital, of the total 41 injured in the accident, condition of 36 passengers was very critical. Superintendent of Police Gopal Bhandari said all the injured were receiving treatment at Dang, Nepalgunj, Butwal and Palpa Mission hospitals.

The bodies to be identified at Mahendra Hospital in Ghorahi are Ram Bahadur Basnet from Basantapur village of Dharna VDC-4, Alok Bhusal from Ghorahi-10, Satya Narayan Chaudhary from Bangaon village of Chaulahi VDC-9, Jeet Bahadur Basnet from Belganar of Urahari VDC-8, Mahabir Chaudhary and Thagulal Chaudhary, both from Tarigaon VDC-9, Tila Oli from Pawan Nagar VDC-6, Jeet Bahadur Kunwar from Sitalpati of Salyan district, Khalil Miya from Butwal-11 and Kothari Chaudhary from Banke district.

Kothari Chaudhary died yesterday while undergoing treatment at Butwal hospital, according to the district police office in Dang.

The bus with the number plate of Ra 1 Kha 246 fell about 200 metres off the bending road at Musot. Police have already taken the bus driver, Deepak Rijal, into custody for legal actions. Survivors said the years old bus fell off the road because of high speed. The armed police personnel taking combat training near the site of the accident had rescued all the passengers from the wreckage.