India committed to take up the reconstruction of 28 cultural heritage sites across Nepal after the devastating 2015 earthquake
In the latest instance of India assisting Nepal in its post-2015 earthquake reconstruction efforts, a 5th-century Buddhist monastery has been reconstructed with Government of India’s Grant assistance of about NPR 3.5 crore.

Popularly known as Duntu Bahi, the Shree Napichandra Mahavihara is located to the north of Patan Durbar square which is a UNESCO World Heritage Zone of the Kathmandu Valley. It was severely damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

The new building was jointly inaugurated by India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiri Babu Maharjan on Monday (September 4, 2023).

In his remarks, Ambassador Srivastava highlighted the various aspects of the robust ongoing development co-operation between India and Nepal and mentioned that it is a significant aspect of the India-Nepal bilateral partnership. Mayor Maharjan thanked the Government of India for its support to Lalitpur as well as Nepal in general in terms of asset creation, the Indian Embassy in Nepal said in a statement.

The reconstruction project has been implemented by Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU – Building & Housing) DUDBC, Government of Nepal. The Design and Project Management Consultancy was provided by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

According to information provided by INTACH on its website detailing the restoration of cultural heritage sites in Nepal, the original monastery buildings collapsed after the 1934 earthquake. The main shrine was rebuilt in the 1980s and the adjoining Sattal in 2013.

Devastating earthquakes in Nepal on April 25, 2015, and May 12, 2015, caused widespread destruction across the country.

At the International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction held in June 2015, the then External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj had committed USD 1 billion from the Indian government’s side. This included USD 250 million as grant and USD 750 million as Line of Credit for post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal, including in the cultural heritage sector.

In line with this approach, the Government of India has committed to take up reconstruction or retrofitting of 28 cultural heritage sites across seven districts of Nepal. INTACH was appointed as the design and project management consultant for restoration of 12 of these cultural heritage sites.

Under the post-earthquake reconstruction grant, the Government of India has also supported reconstruction of 50,000 private houses of Gorkha and Nuwakot districts, reconstruction of 71 educational institutions across 8 districts and reconstruction of 132 health facilities across 10 districts of Nepal.

“This project is a reflection of India’s development partnership with Nepal and complements efforts of Government of Nepal in post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal,” the Indian Embassy in Nepal said.