The 2015 earthquake damaged many houses in Nepal, but it had also provided an opportunity to recreate them to the liking of foreign tourists
KATHMANDU, MARCH 27
Seldom before in the history of democratic Nepal had the economy slumped as at the present.
The revenue has not been able to meet the running expenses of the country.
Imports have been sky rocketing and exports have taken a nose drive. The politicians have been reveling in the making and breaking of coalitions. First the five party, then the seven party and now the eight party which has evolved into a 10- party coalition that has been recently portrayed as the 10-headed demon, Ravan of the Ramayana fame, by the leader of the opposition and demagogue, K P Oli. People are fed up with one election after another.
Though the elections are regular features of any country, the ever deteriorating economy has raised a question mark about republicanism.
India was also at such a political juncture in the post-Nehru era when some people regarded colonial rule better than the self-rule. In China also, the Great Leap Forward movement launched by Mao Zedong was so unsuccessful that it was labelled as the great leap backward.
But both the neighbours are scaling dizzy heights of development at the present.
Nepal could also make a dramatic change in its economy with a little more patience.
There are several aspects that can propel Nepal to prosperity. One of them is certainly tourism along with hydropower, which is already being exported to India. Nepal has been a tourists' hub since early times. Sikhi and Bipaswi Buddha came to Nepal for meditation. In the Licchavi period, Chinese travellers came to Nepal for Buddhist learning. Chinese traveler Fa Hsein visited Lumbini, while Huen Tsang and Wang Huen Tse visited Kathmandu in the Licchavi Nepal.
The natural beauty of Nepal has, of course, been at the fore front to mesmerise the tourists. But its architecture is not far behind.
The adage that Nepal is a land of more temples than houses and more images than men highlights its quantitative aspect. The seventh century inscription of Snaga describing the then palace Kailashkut Bhawan as the mark on the forehead of mother earth, similar to the writing of poet Emmerson about the most beautiful acclaimed G n w j i c n t s n i w a v s o t t o v l y J d N v r o N o hGreek temple the Parthenon, saying Earth proudly wears the Parthenon like a jewel in her zone, describes its qualitative aspect.
That the traditional architecture can have a magnetic appeal to attract the tourists can be seen by the swarming of tourists, both national and international, in Bandipur. A town which was heading towards virtual extinction after the Prithvi Rajmarga passed downstream received a new leaseof life after the conservation of traditional architecture and pedestrianisation of the historic core, with a vehicular road encircling it like a ring road by budding young architect Jharana Joshi. The 2015 earthquake damaged many houses in Nepal, but it had also provided an opportunity to recreate them to the liking of tourists. Unfortunately, Nepal could not make use of this opportunity when it had to be grabbed withboth hands. On the contrary, the houses which sported rich slate and thatch roofs were given a galvanized sheet roofing in the name of lightness for earthquake resistance. Timber construction was substituted by an unbecoming reinforced concrete. The excessive reliance on engineering solution for durability when architecture has two other important facades of convenience and beauty resulted in the new housesreflecting a deserted look like a body without soul.
This was echoed at a recent programme organized by the Society of Nepali Architects (SONA)on the day of the horse festival in the capital city under the leadership of its charismatic President Rajesh Thapa and moderation by wellknown persona Sarosh Pradhan and Amod Dixit.
The delivery of illuminating keynote addresses by Inu Pradhan and Lisa Cho-egyal along with the observation of intelligent panelists provided the necessary platform to the participants.
The opinion of senior architect Devendra Nath Gongol that tourists come for experience now as against the observation in the past drew a huge applause from including ex-secretary Kishore Thapa.
Similar lapse was observed on the conservation front. Though Ranipokhari was very rightly restored to its original glory by giving it its original Granthakut form by Professor Sudarshan Raj Tiwari instead of the later inserted domed form, the same was lacking in the conservation of Dharahara.
In fact, the Kathmandu skyline exhibited twin Dharahara towers prior to the 1834 earthquake, in which one of the two built for Queen Lalita Tripura Sundari was reconstructed allowing the other constructed by Bhimsen Thapa to disappear in the debris.
This was the opportunity to recreate another Dharahara, but the suggestion to do so by the columnist fell on the deaf ears of the government.
A good conservation work, design of iconic buildings and promotion by celebrities can accelerate the pace of tourists' arrival.
The increase in tourism with the visit of Lumbini by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi coupled by the well conserved Maya Devi Temple by the columnist and the buildings designed by Kenzo Tange is a pointer to this direction.
There is also a flip side for tourism attraction. Buildings designed by signature architects through architectural competitions also hypnotize the tourists. Bilbao in Spain was virtually extinct like Bandipur,but it resurrected after the construction of Guggenheim museum, designed by the legendary architect Frank Gehry. So have the Sydney Opera Theater, Chang Chak Building in China and several others. Architects like Alex Shrestha, who has bagged international awards at such a young age, can create such a miracle in Nepal as well.
The present policy of engaging consultant architects is a stumbling block towards creating excellent architecture. Their selection based on architectural competition, limited or open, can pave the way for which SONA should gear itself for creating such a creative milieu.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
