The 586-year old Gorkha Palace, a major attractions for thousands of domestic and foreign tourists, and other sites of historical significance have been imperiled due to landslides triggered by monsoon rains.
Constructed by King Ram Shah in 1481 BS, the palace as well as the Gorakhkali Temple, are under threat with the walls and staircases, renovated around 37 years ago falling prey to erosion.
According to temple priest Ishwornath Yogi, the stair cases and walls, which were built to support the temple and the palace are on the verge of collapse. He informed that the retaining wall had cracked in the earthquake in 2001. Since then, the process of deterioration had set in.
“The Palace management office, responsible for conserving the palace area, is not functioning properly,” said Tekjung Rana, chief of the office.
“It is beyond our control as torrential rains have triggered landslides at several places simultaneously.”
According to Radheshyam Kunwar, preventive measures should be taken at the earliest to manage the palace premises, otherwise the entire complex, together with the beauty of this historical area, would be destroyed for ever.
Kunwar claimed that though staff from the department of archaeology arrive here every year, no sustainable step has been taken to preserve these historical sites.
Gorkha Palace Area Conservation Project, implemented in 1974, had constructed retaining walls, stairs and renovated the historical monuments of the area. But all these efforts could just go in vain if immediate measures are not taken.
Author: Shiva Apriya | Source: The Himalayan Times [August 08, 2010]