Kathmandu, August 10

Bal Gopaleshwor temple, which was damaged in the 2015 earthquakes, is unlikely to be reconstructed before Tihar.

According to Department of Archaeology, reconstruction of the temple has yet to start.

Spokesperson for DoA Ram Bahadur Kunwar said the department and contractor had recently held discussion regarding the reconstruction work.

“We urged the contractor to reconstruct the temple before Tihar as a lot of people visit the temple to receive tika on Bhai Tika,” Kunwar  told THT, adding, “But whether or not the temple will be ready for use by Tihar is still uncertain.”

He said contractor would begin reconstruction of the temple within a few days. As per the contract, reconstruction of the temple should be completed within a year. However, it is now expected that the temple would be ready for use only in June 2018. The estimated cost of reconstructing the temple is Rs 16 million.

The department had taken over the responsibility of reconstructing the temple, which is situated in the middle of Ranipokhari, from the office of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City in October 2016.

The reconstruction of iconic Ranipokhari was halted following differences between DoA and Kathmandu Metropolitan City over the use of roller-compacted concrete by the latter for construction of pillars and foundation of the temple.

DoA had directed the metropolis to put reconstruction work on hold after KMC erected RCC pillars “against the original design.

The UNESCO had also expressed concern about “inappropriate rebuilding of historic structures, particularly Ranipokhari. The historic structure is considered to be one of the famous landmarks in Kathmandu.