KATHMANDU, APRIL 21
The reconstructed 22-storey Dharahara had a 330-kg pinnacle installed today. The pinnacle installation work was undertaken in the morning as per rituals and in the presence of the authorities concerned, including CEO of the National Reconstruction Authority Sushil Gyawali.
The Nepali Army had blown a trumpet while Mangaldhun was played and Swasti Bachan (recital of mantras for peace) was conducted during the ceremony. Mainly made of brass, 95-kg gold was used for gold-plating.
The 22-storey rebuilt tower will be inaugurated on August 24, on the eve of the day when the 7.6-magnititude Gorkha Earthquake had rattled the country in 2015.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to inaugurate the rebuilt 72-metre tall tower that was first built by the first prime minister of Nepal Bhimsen Thapa in 1835 BS as per the Nepali calendar.
Heritage expert Rajuman Manandhar said that CEO Gyawali had installed a Shivalinga in the 21st storey of the tower and had performed puja on the Shivalinga and the pinnacle.
Though Dharahara will be inaugurated in a few days, it will not be opened to the public for some time since other structures are still under construction. Manandhar said that it may take until November for the Dharahara to be opened for the public.
The public will have to wait until November to climb the tower and savour the panoramic 360 degrees view of Kathmandu Valley.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 22, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
