By Binu Shrestha

Kathmandu, Dec. 25: Reconstruction of the Kasthamandap, the three-storied historic public shelter of Basantapur, has been going on smoothly.
Currently, the reconstruction work is running on its mezzanine floor.
The Kasthamandap Reconstruction Committee (KRC) has stated that Rs. 47 million was spent and 4,000 cubic feet timber was used so far in the reconstruction of the historical monument, which was completely demolished in the 2015 earthquake.
Rs. 21.6 million was spent to buy the wooden raw materials.
The reconstruction committee has estimated that it would further need around 17,000 cubic feet timber and 1,000 cubic feet wood was being brought from the Mahakali Irrigation Project of the Sudurpaschim State.
Earlier, the wooden raw materials for the reconstruction were brought from Sindhuli and Parsa.
Gautam Dangol, secretary of the KRC, said that wooden raw materials would arrive in Kathmandu by mid-January next year.
Kasthamandap is being reconstructed by using traditional techniques and conserving its archaeologically important materials. No machine and cranes were used to erect the posts and fix the heavy beams on them.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City had provided Rs. 50.5 million for the reconstruction of the wooden shelter of high archaeological values last fiscal year. The KMC and the Department of Archaeology (DoA) have estimated its reconstruction cost at Rs. 198.8 million.
The committee had recently demanded allocation of Rs. 80 million for the current fiscal year. It has estimated that around Rs. 50 million will be required to buy wood, Rs. 20 million for labour cost and Rs. 10 million for other raw materials, he said.
“We are bringing the wood from the Mahakali Irrigation Project site because this time we need big and long wooden posts to build the mezzanine floor.
In recent days, around 30 labourers have been working at the Kathamandap reconstruction site and the old Hanumandhoka Police Circle of Hanumandhoka.
Except for on Saturday and festival days, 10 carpenters, four masons and 12 to 14 labourers have been regularly working to rebuild 7th century monument,” Dangol informed.
In the case of reusing the old wood of Kasthmandap, the committee has so far used only 1 to 2 per cent of them in the rebuilding process.
“The old wood cannot be reused directly, we have to remove the damaged portion and reform them in a new size. The committee is discussing with the Department of Archaeology (DoA) whether to use the old wood. We will use the old wood if the DoA grants us a permission to use the old wood after modifying their shape,” he said.
Dangol said that if the DoA took a decision to keep them at the museum for display, the old wood would not be used in the reconstruction process.
Reconstruction of the 50 per cent of ground floor has completed, which the KRC had identified as the most challenging and hardest work.
Four major wooden posts of 14x14 inches and other 32 wooden posts of 10x10 inches were erected using the manual power, which was the biggest challenge for the committee.
The ground floor is divided into four layers. It requires wooden posts of different sizes in each layer.
Altogether 100 wooden posts of different four sizes were used in the ground floor. They included 32 wooden posts of 10x10 inches, 28 wooden posts of 10x10 inches, 36 wooden posts of 7x7 inches and four posts of 14x14 inches.
The Kasthmandap has covered less than one ropani of land. The committee has used old bricks, stones and mud to build the ground level.