On this Nepali New Year eve, our team was at Baireni, Dhading. Our initial plan was to return from Baireni itself, but we ended up going Nuwakot. Maybe it was destined for us to be in Nuwakot Darbar (Historical place) on that very special day of New Year. It was 25 km away from Baireni and new place for our team.We enjoyed surfaced road up to Nuwakot bazar, then we followed the dusty road to reach Durbar area. As we stopped, we were surprised to see a lot of roadside Jeri vendors on a row. It seemed like Jeri Festival. Later on, we learned that Jeri was presented as an offering by the pilgrims while visiting the temple.
We moved towards the palace premises. Despite such a mega earthquake, the building remained there but with damage in many parts. Anyone could figure out that the reconstruction efforts are underway. Nuwakot Palace is believed to have played a pivotal role in shaping the history of modern Nepal. But now, the palace has been a mess because of the several wooden scattered throughout the premises.
There were some marking on the woods. It looked as if the woods were prepared as 'replicas' of the original woods used in the structure. The structure looked scary as some of its walls had been retained with support from bamboo and woods. We were a big team of 19 people and every time we laughed, we were bit scared as well.
Picture: Our team is trying to capture the moment and collect memories.
There were several posters on the background which were directed to government and asking for the instant renovation. The flex prints were all over the premises. We did not find any single wall without such poster. While we appreciate the concerns of local to draw the attention of government, we also thought on what locals could have done.
Picture: A poster in the backdrop posted by Nuwakot Sarokar Society ask the government to reconstruct religious and historical heritages of Nuwakot Palace premises without delay.
We could see the queue of internal tourists (as it was the first day of the year) and several visitors had been there with the religious purpose. Based on our observation, the flow of tourist can be marked as 'significant'. We also saw several buses which were reserved particularly for the visit. There were also a group of foreign tourists who had been there as they have learned about the historic place. The structure which was built long ago is still standing there tall. The lovely woodcrafts within the trapped structure looked as if they are waiting to be restored back to the beautiful structure again. The architecture itself looked so promising. Nuwakot palace has its own cultural and historical significance as it is the seven-story palace fortress built during the reign of Prithvi Narayan Shah in the 18th century.
On the way back, we discussed the possibilities to reconstruct the structure back. The work was in progress but the pace of the work might have been much faster had there been some different approaches. As an observer, it appeared as if the locals were more relying on government's action and questioning them rather than putting their effort.
We also recalled on how Bouddhanath was built and restored within a short span of time. It had been all possible with the support and enthusiasm at the local level. One of our colleague who resides at Bouddhanath area, Kathmandu shared on how individual contributed to the rebuilding process. We were so happy to learn that locals had not just provided cash and kind contribution but also provided labor support for several months. Some of the locals also financed for snacks, lunch, and some even contributed for tea/coffee. We were assured that if done properly, local initiation can build a big structure in short period.
On the way back, we also discussed if the locals could have used the concept of local finance of raised some entry fee so that the fund could have been used for the reconstruction. We also talked if there had been some community members who could share and describe the cultural/historical aspects of the palace and provide guidance. We believe the tourists would not hesitate to pay nominal charges as they do in other places. Well, there are always options and possibilities which need to be tried so that we can bring a positive result. While we can understand that the locals have faced severe damage and still struggling to recover the loss at the individual level. They are still struggling to find ways to recover property and return to normal life. In the meantime, the Nuwakot Durbar is the pride of whole Nuwakot and Nepal. As the member of the community, they are also the custodian of the Nuwakot Durbar. Thus, locals need to take their stake and move for reconstruction. We also talked about how the Sundaridada view tower and information center, Kaski has been seen as one of the places to visit by the tourists in greater Pokhara.
We returned to our own destinations. Deep in heart, I was touched by the scene of Nuwakot palace. Two days later, I met my colleague who resides at Sundaridada. As we had a discussion about the Nuwakot reconstruction and had also talked about resource center, I asked her about the collection done by the center in general. She responded that on an average, tower collects around NPR 20,000 per month. The tower recorded the arrival of more than 200 visitors on Nepali New Year. The view tower/resource center has created employment at the local level. The information center acts as a platform for local farmers, local business houses to disseminate information and sell the products and items available at local level. The key highlights of various goods and services of the watershed area are available in the information center. The center also displays the variety of rice, vegetable, flora and fauna found at Begnas and Rupa watershed. In addition to that, climatic data is also available at the tower.
Local items of high value (Honey, Anadi rice, foxtail millet, taro products etc. and other local items are also available). So far, visitors have been found buying local items as the souvenir from Begnas and supporting the initiation done by the community. The branding at landscape level has been helpful for the promotion of local items. The benefit generated from the resource center goes back to the conservation of lake. So, this is a clear example of how the community can be self-reliant and work on its own rather than relying on others support.
Picture: Begnas-Rupa Information Center and View Tower
I think Nuwakot Palace will be a top priority for every visitor who reaches Nuwakot district. If one visits Nuwakot palace at currrent conditition, one would certainly feel demotivated. What if when representatives from Government Agency/INGO/NGO visits Nuwakot Durbar premises with an interest to support Nuwakot Palace Reconstruction? Will they still be interested in providing the support or not? Well, I think, they might show reluctance on providing support as they might not be convinced on the 'buy-in' and 'drive' from the locals. But, had there been an environment which could have reflected local initiation and willingness to move, organization/agency would be convinced and show readiness to provide additional support.
We completed year 2 of the mega earthquake and several structures devastated by the earthquake are not yet repaired. I hope the example of Bouddhanath reconstruction and Sundaridada view tower/information center motivates us. Local initiations can make difference. The status of progress on post-earthquake reconstruction has been slower. Examples from Dhurmus-Suntali foundation motivates us to be hopeful. Nuwakot Durbar will be reconstructed for sure. We think that it will take a long time if it is left at its current pace. But if locals support the reconstruction and join hands, it will be easy for government and other stakeholders as well to speed up the work. Locals need to make a start and bring ways for co-finance. At the end of the day, we wish to see the Nuwakot palace restored soon.
