Ancient Pond Reconstruction in Kathmandu Stirs Preservation Protests · Global Voices
Rani Pokhari pond before the 2015 earthquake. Image by Flickr user <PERSON>. CC BY-NC 2.0
Ponds in the Kathmandu Valley and the southern plains of Nepal have always been an integral part of culture and tradition. While some ponds have been preserved well in the valley, others have been encroached upon by modern construction or have disappeared completely due to negligence by authorities.
Rani Pokhari, ‘the Queen’s Pond,’ with historic Balgopaleswor Temple in the center, has been drained off to allow for the temple's reconstruction. Authorities decided to renovate the pond as a whole after the temple was partially damaged by the disastrous earthquake of 2015.
Now, activists and locals of Kathmandu Valley have come together to save this ancient pond in the heart of Kathmandu:
केही वर्षमा हामीले रानीपोखरीको यो हविगत बनायौं। एउटै स्थानबाट खिचेको दुई फोटो। #बाँदरको_हातमा_नरिवल। pic.twitter.com/9TLKxSDbMy
— <PERSON> (@brazeshk) October 21, 2017
In few years’ time, we did this to <PERSON>. Two photos taken from the same point.
The beauty and historical significance of <PERSON>
<PERSON>, a 17th-century heritage site, is believed to have been built by King <PERSON> in 1670 AD to console Queen <PERSON> who was saddened by the death of her youngest son.
The Balgopaleswor Temple in the center of the pond opens up to the public once a year when people with no siblings visit the temple during Bhai Tika, the ‘festival of brothers and sisters,’ on the final day of the Tihar festival, a five-day Hindu festival of lights. 765
The pond is also open to the public for the Hindu festival Chhath.
View of <PERSON>, 1919 pic.twitter.com/TQKKSGvTaf
— Nepal In Pix (@NepalInPix) December 7, 2017
pic.twitter.com/EGUWZ4NhA0
— Old photos of Nepal (@oldphotosNepal) January 10, 2017
<PERSON>. Old is Gold: Rani Pokhari before 1990's (Bikram Era) earthquake
Known for its beauty and historical significance, the pond is surrounded by Ghantaghar (the clock tower) and Trichandra College, Nepal’s first campus in the east, and Durbar High School, Nepal’s first high school in the west. On the southern bank lies a statue of King <PERSON> and his two sons riding an elephant. Temples dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses stand at all four corners.
Controversial, messy reconstruction
The reconstruction of the pond has been a bone of contention between the government's Department of Archaeology, local people and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) looking after the task. Construction work on the temple was halted when activists protested against the use of concrete materials by the contractor.
The row resurfaced after the contractor started building a concrete wall around the pond:
The KMC says it wants to “beautify and modernise” Rani Pokhari, complete with a son et lumière fountain, a park and coffee shop. This violates Nepal’s Ancient Monument Preservation Act which says historic sites over 100 years old have to be preserved in their original form. 765