GAIGHAT: The historical Choudandi Gadhi (fort) in Udayapur, built nearly 275 years ago, is in a shambles due to lack of maintenance and the encroaching locals.

The site, located 30 km east of the district headquarters, in Choudandi VDC, was established by King Mukunda Sen of Palpa in his bid to expand his state. Kedar Katuwal, a local said the fort, that was established prior to the unification of Nepal in Udaypur, one of the then Chaubise states, had been neglected. He said the heritage could be consigned to history if it was not conserved on time.

According to Kumar Karki, a local, the people had used the fort premises for agricultural purposes. "There used to be large ponds. Ten years down the line, the water bodies and adjoining gardens have lost their identity," he said. Sushil Shedhai, a social worker said the statues in the site had been disappeared. "The things of archaeological value would help researchers discover a lot of facts."

Resting atop a hillock on the Mahabharata range at an altitude of 1200 metres, the fort had been a shelter for the CPN-Maoist during the decade-long insurgency. Local residents said the Maoist guerillas had defaced the historic building by using it as their base.

The structure faced further damages in the locals' honey-hunting process, often by moving rocks that formed beehives. Harishankar Pariyar, former chairman of Udaypur DDC, said the site of historical importance could be preserved to be developed as a tourist destination. He urged the government to build infrastructures and initiate works to develop the area as a tourist destination.

Hira Kumar Shrestha, politician and former professor, said the winter capital of the Sen Dynasty faced an extinction threat due to the negligence of the state. He added that no clear proof of Amirpur, the king, was found in the area due to the lack of conservation. Journalist Kedar Thapa, who has an interest in disseminating information about the historical site, said not much remained of the monument now.