Preparation afoot to enlist Tilaurakot and Panauti in World Heritage Sites

Kathmandu: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pande, has said the government was at work to enlist Tilaurakot of Kapilvastu and Panauti of Kavrepalanchok districts as the World Heritage Sites.

During a programme organised by the Department of Museums on the International Museum Day on Tuesday, Minister Pande said that the ministry was making adequate preparations to enlist these important places in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites and manage others accordingly.

Museums can be developed as significant attractions to draw huge foreign currency. So, it’s time for better management and publicity of museums in Nepal, the Minister stressed.

‘Like the visitors at the Louvre Museum of France viewing the Mona Lisa painting, Nepal can attract tourists to view the wood carving of the Goddess’s dance. The Nrityadevi’s wooden image is indeed a Monalisa of Asia. Nepal can be made further known in the world through a museum,’ he reminded.

Nepal’s old heritages are also available in 700-year-old Heidelberg University of Germany, he said, opening the nine-storey Durbar at Basantapur Durbar Square, which was reconstructed after the 2015 Earthquake. The Minister expressed happiness over the availability of skilled hands to prepare the Kasthamandap in its original form, the one designed during the Lichhavi era.

In addition to the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, other ancient towns in the Kathmandu Valley like Handigaon need preservation, the Minister underscored.

On the occasion, lawmaker Sapana Rajbhandari said that although several years had passed since the reconstruction of Kastamandap, it was yet to be opened to the public.

So, the ministry should also take the initiative for its opening. International Museum Day is observed every year on May 18.

RSS