Bhimsen Thapa
Kathmandu, March 31:
Kathmandu’s skyline may soon change for the better if the authorities relocate Dharahara, the valley’s most famous landmark, to Ratna Park. A plan has been formulated to shift the monument from the congested Sundhara area.
A committee of experts which went into this issue has suggested Ratna Park as the new home for Dharahara. The committee submitted its report to the Kathmandu Municipal Corporation recently. It suggested shifting of the tower as its structure is being weakened by increasing pollution and vibrations from vehicles. It also said the structure is located in an extremely vulnerable seismic zone.
The committee which was headed by well-known British architect Peter Sellers conducted extensive studies on the monument using sophisticated equipment.
The committee also cautioned that the life of the tower could be reduced if immediate conservation measures were not initiated. It suggested hiring of the Paris-based Monument Relocation Centre (MRC) to carry out the relocation.
The MRC, incidentally, has an enviable track record. It relocated a few Pyramids in Egypt, ancient temples in India and a few Mayan structures in Peru. Its most recent project is the relocation of a few temples in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India which were submerged by the Narmada dam project. When contacted, MRC head, Ms Lirpa Loof, confirmed they had been sounded out by Peter Sellers about the project. “We are awaiting an official word from the Nepal government. All I can say now is that we are extremely interested in implementing the project,†she added.
Meanwhile some senior KMC engineers have finalised a blue-print for productive use of the huge area once Dharahara is relocated. That is constructing a multi-storied building after Dharahara’s relocation.
The complex will house a three-tiered public parking lot, a multiplex with three modern cinema theatres, a food court, a bowling alley and a museum.
The proposed parking lot is expected to solve parking problems in the Sundhara, Ason and New Road areas.
The KMC officials have suggested Italian-born British architect Richard Rogers who designed London’s Millennium Dome to design the complex tentatively named “Dharahara complexâ€.
The monument was erected by then Prime Minister General Bhim Sen Thapa in 1826 A.D. It was renovated in 1936 by Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher.
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