Beni Municipality repairing old Chautaris

By Our Correspondent,Beni, Dec. 10: Beni Municipality Ward No. 7 has begun repairing and beautifying old Chautaris in its area.

The stone or brick platforms usually constructed at the base of trees used to be an integral rest stop along foot trails in rural Nepal. They also used to function as a centre for communal gatherings and socialisations. However, they have fallen into disuse and disrepair in modern times.

This pinched the local officials who decided to do something to preserve these historically and religiously significant structure.

“Our forefathers had a great sense of religious and social duty and thus constructed these Chautaris that we sat in, played around and grew up with. They were a part of our lives. Yet, they lie dilapidated today,” lamented ward chair Ramesh Kumar Shrestha. “Thus, we have begun work on renovating the 17 Chautaris we have in our ward.”

Calling them a part of the nation’s identity, Shrestha informed that they had repaired four Chautaris with a budget of Rs. 950,000 this fiscal year and would gradually carry out maintenance on the remaining 13 too.

“One of the main ones we restored was the Chautara at the main entrance of Beni Municipality’s office originally constructed by one Kirti Kumar Shrestha,” Shrestha said, proudly. “This has given people coming from far for government work a place to relax and take a breath.”

The ward office reconstructed the stairs leading up to the platform, constructed a big bowl to keep water for street animals in and installed a board containing information about the main tourist destinations of Myagdi. Shrestha said that they now planned to line it with stones to restore its traditional look.

The other three Chautaris repaired included one in front of the Beni Community Building built by Tul Bahadur Shakya and two at the confluence of the Myagdi and Kaligandaki rivers built by Chandra Shekhar Shrestha and Nar Bahadur Baniya. The one built by Baniya was specifically designed to be a spot for mourning families who brought their relatives to the ghat for cremation. 

“Since all the original builders have passed away, we are coordinating with their descendants to carry out the repairs,” ward chairman Shrestha informed.