Conservationist strives to save Kathmandu's architectural heritage
Historic buildings are disappearing to make way for modern structures, but one conservationist is striving to slow their demise
When Chandan Shrestha discovered that a 200-year-old house in his Kathmandu neighbourhood was being demolished and replaced by a concrete structure, he intervened before it vanished like many of the other heritage buildings in Nepal's capital.
After he alerted the country's Department of Archaeology, it managed temporarily to stop the construction in the historic Naradevi area until the homeowner agreed at least to restore the facade of the house in its original form.
The house, part of the Baidya Chowk courtyard, minutes away from the tourist hub of Thamel, illustrates the city's architecture and craftsmanship and is among Kathmandu's quickly disappearing old quarters.
Most old houses in the area have been rebuilt, and the remaining ones are squashed amid the new multi-storey buildings. Their masterfully crafted wooden windows and doors are covered in dust, the artwork obstructed by the street's utility wires.
"These houses have been totally transformed," said Shrestha, who is campaigning to prevent more such damage being done. "People are destroying their heritage."
The areas around Kathmandu Durbar Square, like Naradevi, reflect the conflict between the old and the emerging metropolis. While some ancestral homes in these prime neighbourhoods are crumbling, others have been reconstructed for commercial purposes with no trace of the traditional aesthetics.