- Saturday, 23 August 2025
Binu Shrestha
Gundu farmers busy making Makhamali garlands for Tihar
As Tihar, the second biggest festival of Nepali people, is around the corner, the farmers of Gundu in Suryabinayak Municipality-7, Bhaktapur, are now busy picking Makhamali (globe amaranth) flowers and making garlands.
Animal sacrifice rituals during Dashain festival
The mass sacrificial ceremony is specially organised at the Taleju Temple of Hanuman Dhoka of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur to offer to the goddess during Maha Ashtami and Maha Nawami.
Khokana people mark Sikali Jatra during Dashain
Khokana, located south of the Kathmandu Valley, is famous for mustard oil and beaten rice across the country. However, many people do not know another feature of Khokana—people here do not celebrate Dashain, the biggest festival of Nepalis. When the entire nation is preparing to celebrate Dashain, the people of Khokana in Ward No. 21 of Lalitpur Metropolitan City are busy marking the festival of Rudrayani, popularly known as Sikali Jatra.
Rehearsal of Mahakali dance for Indra Jatra begins
Kathmanduites are now preparing to mark their biggest Jatra, Indra Jatra, known as Yenya in the local language. This year, the annual Jatra of Living Goddess falls on September 17. Street mask dances are one of the major features of the Jatra, and Mahakali dance is one of them. Seven
Digu Tole tongue-piercing festival being held next week
Bode, an ancient city of Madhyapur Thimi, is known for its famous tongue-piercing festival, but many people may not know about another tongue-piercing festival of Digu Tole in Ward No. 5 of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality. This tongue-piercing festival is taking place on next Wednesday evening.
Mahakali and Bhairav dances of Nagadesh concluding today
The Prajapati community of Nagadesh Tole, which revived the historically and religiously significant Mahakali dance after a gap of 80 years in 2022, has started performing this year’s dance. Similarly, the performance of the Thimi Bhairav (Bhaila) dance has begun at Tahanani Tole of Ward No. 5 of Madhyapur Thimi, where the dance is being shown after a gap of 21 years.
Septuagenarians performing Nilbarahi dance of Bode
Bode, the ancient town of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality in Bhaktapur district, is widely known for its tongue-piercing festival. It is also a place where traditional Nilbarahi dance is performed every year. Howev
Stolen Basuki image retrieved, restored
The stolen idol of Basuki Nagraja in Sankar Kirti Mahabihar, Bhagwan Bahal of Naxal Ward No. 1 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, was restored to its original place on Monday. The idol of Basuki Nagraja was stolen from the Bahal premises.
‘Transitional justice should be victim-friendly’
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has unveiled its works related to transitional justice by organising a press meet here on Monday. The Commission has submitted its opinion prepared based on various discussions held at the national level and studies conducted at the international level for the fourth time to the sub-committee formed under the Law, Justice and Human Rights Commission for clause-wise discussions of the Bill on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 (third amendment). The main 11 points of the concept presented include truth-seeking and investigation, justice and prosecution, reparations and amnesty.
Restoration of Lichchhavi era Yanga Hiti underway
Traditional Hitis (stone spouts) which were concealed under bushes, shrubs, and water are now being restored to their former glory thanks to the Bagmati Province government and Yanga Hiti Renovation Programme Consumer Committee.
Rickety NSU building a shabby show years after earthquake
Kathmandu, June 28: Owners of the curio and other shops which are in operation in the open-air souvenir market of Basantapur Dabali near the rickety building of the liaison office of the Nepal Sanskrit University (NSU) have been in constant fear for nine years after the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015. The building used by the NSU developed multiple cracks in the massive earthquake. Basantapur Dabali, an open area adjacent to Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, is always crowded with domestic and foreign tourists. But the NSU building standing to the south of the Hanuman Dhoka in support of several logs not only poses a threat but also is an eyesore to the tourists visiting the World Heritage Site (WHS) every day. Because of the negligence shown on the part of the relevant institutions and stakeholders, the rickety white building standing in the World Heritage Site (WHS) has not been demolished even nine years after the earthquake. As a result, the four-and-a half-storey damaged structure still stands in support of 14 logs in the heart of the capital city. Macharaja Maharjan, Ward Chairperson of Ward No. 23 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), said that currently they had no plan to reconstruct or pull down the building. The metropolis had earlier decided to demolish the building through the ward but did not allocate any budget for that. It seems that the metropolis is not serious about the risky building, he said. Maharjan said, “We have demanded the allocation of the required budget to demolish the building, and the demolishing process will begin from the coming fiscal year if the KMC allocates the budget. Otherwise, we cannot say anything about this building.” “We need to exert pressure if the metropolis does not allocate budget in the coming fiscal year,” he said. He further said that the adjoining building used by Nawa Aadarsha Secondary School would also be demolished together with the NSU building if the KMC allocated the budget. The school had already been shifted to the buildings of another community school. Saubhagya Pradhananga, Director General of the Department of Archeology (DoA), said that earlier the metropolis proposed to the DoA to demolish the building but it rejected citing a lack of manpower. The DoA has prepared a drawing design of the new building for the metropolis to reconstruct it in its original shape after demolishing the old structure. The DoA will keep only inventory records of the building, she said.It seems the main stakeholder, Nepal Sanskrit University, has not paid any attention to take care of its liaison office. The office had been shifted to its central office in Beljhundi, Dang, after the building was damaged by the earthquake. Before the ratification of the NSU Act in 1986, the building was under the ownership of Tribhuvan University (TU). After the introduction of the Act, TU handed over the building to the NSU, which has its central office in Beljhundi, Dang, Lumbini Province, to use it as its liaison office in Kathmandu and a research centre.However, according to the Sanskrit University, TU has handed over the ownership only orally, not legally. This means that even though NSU has been using the building for the past 35 years, the land is registered under TU’s name. The NSU says it cannot move forward with the reconstruction process because of the issue of legality of ownership while TU says that NSU is solely responsible for the building and its renovation because it has been using it since the 1980s.Because of this dispute, neither university has taken any initiative to begin rebuilding the severely cracked building nor have they made any effort to manage funds for it.
Most heritages destroyed by 2015 quake restored
Even nine years after the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015, reconstruction of a few destroyed heritages is yet to be completed or begun. Some heritage monuments of the World Heritage Sites of the Kathmandu Valley and other places have not yet been reconstructed because of the carelessness of the local bodies, disputes with the contractors and problems within the consumer committees.
Gahana Khojne Jatra marked with much fanfare
A large number of people gathered at Gahana Pokhari of Handigaun to enjoy the Gahana Khojne Jatra (searching for the jewel fiesta) on Wednesday. The chariot of Tundal Devi
Seto Machhindranath chariot procession to begin today
The three-day chariot procession of Seto Machhindranath is being started on Tuesday with the chariot being pulled from Tindhara Pathsala. The chariot is being pulled from Tindhara Pathsala to Ghantaghar, and women and tourists too are expected to pull the chariot this year.
Shrestha pierces tongue for 2nd time
Sujan Baga Shrestha, a resident of Khasi, Bode, Madhyapur Thimi, has pierced his tongue for the second time to commemorate the tongue piercing festival held on Sunday. Aiming to preserve the dying culture, the 28-year-old Shrestha of Bode Ward No 8 has been performing the tongue-piercing act since last year. Shrestha's tongue was pierced with a 10-inch long iron needle today.
