Rare Honors to Tenzing and Hillary

Nepal has presented a rare honor to revolutionary climbers  Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, who pioneered to subjugate Mt. Everest by installing their statues in Kathmandu.
The statues of brave climbers Tenzing Norgey Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary and Boris Lidanevich, a Russian national who made significant contribution to Nepal’s tourism sector by establishing the first tourist hotel, were unveiled by Tourism and Civil Aviation minister Sharat Singh Bhandari and Russian Minister for Culture, Tipalov Alexandar.
New Zealand’s Hillary, who died in 2008 at the age of 88, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay, who passed away in 1986 at the age of 72, climbed the 8,850-metre Everest summit in May 29, 1953, an achievement that celebrated Nepal to international arena opening the door for tourism in the country.
On Sunday, authorities uncovered the statues of the two climbers and that of Russian hotelier Boris Lisanevich, who opened Nepal’s first modern hotel in the 1950s, in recognition of their contribution to the country, Nepal Tourism Board chief Prachanda Man Shrestha said.
“Nepal was lagging behind as there was not any significant economic change following the political changes”, Minister Bhandari said at the occasion. The minister also said that government would make efforts to establish direct air service between Nepal and Russia.
The statues were jointly set up by Nepal Tourism Board and Non Resident Nepali (NRN) Association, Russia.
Nepal has already got some historic memorials on the name of these people. Such as Lukla Airport named as Tenzing-Hilary Airport and the trekking route beginning from the airport as Tenzing-Hilary trekking route etc., and now the statues are also erected. Until now no statues of foreigners were erected in public places in Nepal.