Ramchandra Temple awarded Dr. Balram Joshi Gyan-Bigyan Puraskar

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 12: The 26th Shree Dr. Balram Joshi Gyan-Bigyan Rastriya Puraskar was awarded to the Shree Ramchandra Temple Renovation and Conservation Committee.

This year’s prize distribution ceremony was held on Sunday at the premises of the Ramchandra Temple in Battisputali. The committee received a cash prize of Rs. 200,000 along with a letter of appreciation.

The award was presented by the head of the Galeshwar Ashram, Swami Sri 1008 Aatmanand Giri. The event was organised by the Dr. Balaram Joshi Gyan-Bigyan Rastriya Puraskar Academy. The prize was handed over to Dr. Govind Tandon, president of the Shree Ramchandra Temple Renovation and Conservation Committee. 

Established in 2052 BS, the award was conferred this year to the Ramchandra Temple for its contributions to spiritual contemplation, culture, and heritage preservation, according to Rupa Dixit Joshi, Member Secretary of the Academy.

During the programme, Swami Aatmanand Giri highlighted the contributions of Angurbaba Joshi in promoting women’s education, empowerment, social service, and spiritual knowledge in Nepal. 

He noted that Angurbaba Joshi pioneered the idea of educating women within the Gurukul tradition, founding the Gargi Cultural School, which he himself has now undertaken to manage.

The temple’s origins date back to 1928 BS, when Commander Colonel Sanak Singh Tandon established it on a sacred hill in Battisputali. However, the site’s spiritual significance reaches back to the ancient Licchavi period and is steeped in local legends. 

One such tale connects the hill to King Vikramaditya’s throne, said to have been buried there by celestial apsaras as a symbol of justice. This legend inspired the name “Battisputali” (meaning “thirty-two dolls”), reflected in the thirty-two apsara figurines adorning the temple’s dome.

Sanak Singh Tandon, from a distinguished lineage linked to Nepal’s unification under Prithvinarayaan saha, envisioned the temple as a spiritual beacon. His family’s contributions—building temples and rest houses in Arghakhanchi and Syangja—underscore their legacy of service. Archaeological finds from the Licchavi era and modern Ramayan-themed murals on the temple walls further showcase its historical and artistic richness.

Built in the traditional royal dome style, the temple combines grandeur with simplicity. By 2047/48 BS, however, the Shree Ramchandra Temple in Battisputali had fallen into disrepair—its rest houses were in ruins, pathways were overgrown, and guthi lands were mismanaged, threatening its survival.

In 2048 BS, Dr. Govinda Tandon led the formation of the Shree Ramchandra Temple Renovation and Conservation Committee. Supported by the Shree Ramchandra Private Guthi Office, devotees, local authorities, and institutions such as Dwarika’s Hotel, the committee restored the temple’s lost glory over the course of 33 years. Today, it stands rejuvenated as a vibrant spiritual and cultural heritage site.