By Narendra Dhakal, Gorkha, Oct. 8: The Gorkha Museum will now open on all public holidays except for Dashain and Tihar.

According to Chief Navaraj Adhikari, the museum will remain open for visitors throughout the year except for three days in Dashain and three days in Tihar. Previously, the museum used to be closed on Tuesdays and public holidays.

“We had asked the Department of Archaeology (DoA) to allow us to open on holidays last month,” Adhikari told The Rising Nepal. “The DoA approved our request on September 30.”

This move is expected to increase the number of people visiting the museum. However, this will also increase the economic burden on the institution as it will have to spend more on employee wages and facility maintenance.

But Adhikari said that this had been sorted out. “I personally went to the Ministry of Finance and we decided that we could open the museum on holidays with the minimum number of staff.”

As per the approved calendar of the museum, it will only close for Astami, Nawami and Dashami in Dashain and Laxmi Puja, Govardhan Puja and Bhai Tika in Tihar. “The museum shall be open for visitors on all other days,” Adhikari said.

This calendar shall stay in force until the end of this fiscal year but the museum is in discussion with relevant authorities to extend it further.

The museum houses objects and artifacts associated with King Prithvi Narayan Shah and the unification of Nepal.