KATHMANDU: A cycle rally with the slogan ‘heritage cycle ride to restore and rebuild’ was organised in the capital on Saturday. Inaugurating the rally, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kripasur Sherpa urged all for their active participation in the restoration of the damaged Seven Protected Monument Zones of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property. The seven protected monuments zones include the durbar squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, Buddhist stupas of Swoyambhu and Boudhanath and Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changunarayan. “Restoration and rebuilding of the damaged heritages sites is possible only if all citizens stand united and invest their monetary, technical and skilled human resources,” he said. The cycle rally that was flagged off at 7am from Basantapur pedalled about 60 km all the way to Swoyambhunath, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Sankhu, Changunarayan, Bhaktapur and Patan Darbar Square and before returning to Basantapur at 5pm. About 400 riders participated in the cycle rally to demonstrate their willingness to contribute in raising public awareness about the importance of reconstruction and restoration of the destroyed heritage sites. The Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Kathmandu Metropolitan City, in collaboration with 20 other stakeholders, had organised the cycle rally. Tour the Lumbini, an organisation, collected monetary donations from the public, cyclists and other participants during the rally by selling T-Shirts bearing a message ‘Sampada Cycle’ for Rs 300-500. The collected donation has been handed over to the Department of Archaeology. Shriju Pradhan, Chief of Heritage Conservation and Tourism Promotion Section at KMC, informed that the heritage cycle rally was organised to augment the campaign to reconstruct and restore Kashthamandap that was reduced to rubble by the earthquake on April 25. “Historically, the three-storeyed pagoda style Kashthamandap is almost 900 years old. It is one of the oldest artistic architectures. It was the traditional resting place for pilgrims, locals and tourists,” she said, stressing that restoration of the other heritage sites should be initiated by taking the first step to renovate Kashthamandap. Pradhan urged all the stakeholders to recover lost tamrapatra (a historical record engraved on copper plate) for the historic authorisation of Kashthamandap.