Panauti's World Heritage drive continues

By Kedar Timalsina,Kavrepalanchowk, Nov. 4: Panauti Municipality has again held a discussion with the residents of its Ward No. 7 about getting the ancient city centre enlisted as a world heritage.

The municipality has been trying to get the historic Panauti market square in Ward 7 (previously spread over Ward Nos. 5, 6 and 7) declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) since 1997. However, it has not been successful. So, it held the discussion on Friday to get the locals on board.

Panauti Mayor Ram Sharan Bhandari told the gathered people that the world heritage status would benefit them greatly. He assured them they would be able to reap great rewards if the site got recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage and requested them to contribute to the process. 

Bhandari mentioned that joint efforts from the federal government, local government and local people were needed to successfully get Panauti included in the world heritage list and said that the municipality was coordinating with various agencies for this.

Dr. Suresh Suras Shrestha, joint secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that Panauti could not be enlisted as a world heritage until the locals themselves took the initiative to build heritage-friendly structures. He also urged the concerned bodies to identify the factors that have been preventing Panauti from gaining world heritage status and conduct public hearings and discussions in all its localities to find solutions. 

Stating that some documents needed to be revised and edited, Shrestha informed that the municipality's Ward No. 7 would be made a world heritage within two years of the submission of all the required papers. At the same time, he clarified that UNESCO would not be pouring extra money for the area's development even if it got enlisted as a world heritage.

Heritage experts Rabindra Puri and Bidhu Prasad Kayastha also spoke on the occasion and informed everyone that Nepal was trying to get 15 sites, including Panauti, Nuwakot Palace, Ram Janaki Temple, Palpa's Tansen, Kirtipur, Khokana, Sankhu, 

Lumbini's Ramgram, Lo Manthang and Gorkha Palace, included in the world heritage list. 

They said that if it became a world heritage, Panauti and its monuments would attract people all over the world and boost tourism.

Acknowledging the then Panauti Village Development Committee's potential to gain the coveted UNESCO recognition, the then His Majesty's Government also declared it an ancient monument zone in 1997. 

Three years ago, the municipality issued a criterion to encourage locals, especially those of Ward 7, to preserve the traditional structures and encourage residents to maintain a traditional façade when building new structures. It has also been providing money to homeowners building new houses to incentivise them to adhere to the guidelines.

The houses inside the area that the municipality hopes to include in the World Heritage List have been asked to preserve their Malla and Rana-era look.