US Aid for Restoration of Patan Royal Palace

While government of Nepal is busy in strategic policy making and infrastructure make up for the upcoming event, Nepal Tourism Year 2011, the US Embassy has wished to lend Nepal a helping hand in preservation of cultural entities of Nepal. The US embassy of Kathmandu Monday announced to grant the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust USD 900,000 (NRs 6 Crore 90 Lakhs) to restore the Patan Royal Palace in Lalitpur through the US Ambassadors Fund for the Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program. This is the one of the only three worldwide projects to receive funding from this prestigious and highly competitive program in 2009.

Yesterday, Chargé d’Affaires Jeffrey Moon visited site of the project, Patan Durbar Square in Lalitpur, which is one of the historical and cultural cities of the Kathmandu valley and presented a formal check to Dr. Rohit Ranjitkar, the Project Director, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) for the initiation of the restitution program

The US State Department had invited 16 countries throughout the world to submit proposals for large scale-partnership-based cultural preservation projects at sites of global significance. The other two other projects to receive this celebrated award are for the conservation of the Sacred City of Caral (USD 800,000) in Peru and for the restoration of the Monastery of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos in Ohrid, Macedonia (USD 650,000).

The Patan Royal Palace is regarded as the one of South Asia’s finest and most unscathed historic urban royal entity along with its allied buildings those date from 17th to 18th centuries, a period in the power of the medieval Malla dynasty (1200-1768 AD). The most significant impacts of this refurbishment project include fostering increased understanding between cultures, the creation of a world-class institution furthering knowledge of Nepalese culture, local training and education, and economic development.

Altogether eight culturally important sites, shrines and momentums have advantaged restoration and rebuilding via US government in the past including restoration of Kal Bhairav and Kageshwor Temple in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square; rebuilding the Lakshmi Narayan and Mahadev Temples in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, the Machali Pati in Teku, Nag Bahal Hiti in Lalitpur, ancient Buddhist Chhortens in upper Mustang; and 17th Century Water Architecture in the Patan Durbar in Lalitpur during past eight years with a total venture of approximately USD 355,500..

Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 which provides direct grant support for the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and ensembles, and forms of traditional cultural expression in countries around the world.