Nepal’s Department of Archaeology has announced that the heritage sites and monuments affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on 25 April are now open again to the public. Access to the sites, which are situated within the Seven Protected Monument Zones of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Property, had been restricted until the completion of debris management on 15 June.
Boudhanath Stupa. From thinkprogress.org
The earthquake and aftershocks in central and western Nepal killed over 8,000 people and injured thousands more. The Chinese National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation also reported that the peak of Mount Everest moved 1.2 inches to the southwest because of the tectonic shifts.
The Seven Protected Monument Zones comprise seven groups of monuments and buildings that exemplify a range of historical, cultural, and artistic achievements. These historical structures and complexes comprise the Buddhist sites of Boudhanath Stupa and Swayambunath Stupa, the durbar squares* of Hanumandhoka, Patan, and Bhaktapur, and the Hindu temples of Pashupatinath and Changunarayan (Hanumandhoka and Patan were already reopened on 11 June). In Patan Durbar Square a Buddhist structure called Mahaboudha Temple, which was built in the 14th century, was also damaged but is repairable.
Ruins around Swayambunath Stupa. From guardian.com
According to The Himalayan Times, the government had planned to reopen the heritage sites on 17 August but rescheduled it to 15 June to spread a positive message to foreign tourists and pilgrims willing to visit Nepal. To ensure the safety of visitors, the Department of Archaeology’s Suresh Sura Shrestha told The Himalayan Times: “A group of tourists should be formed along with local guides to provide them information about the ruined structures and survived monuments.”
As part of the conservation efforts after the devastating earthquake, the entirety of the Kathmandu Valley is also to be placed on the UN’s List of World Heritage in Danger. Feng Jing, head of the Asia Pacific Unit at UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told The Times of India: “Out of the seven monuments [sic] zones in the valley, three are severely damaged due to the recent earthquake. . . . The damage of the earthquake is so severe that we have termed it as ascertained and potential danger and proposed to UNESCO that it designate the entire Kathmandu Valley as world heritage in danger. This will also mobilize international solidarity and support.”
Mahaboudha Temple. From flickr.com
The Times of India reports that the World Heritage Committee will meet in Bonn, Germany, from 28 June to 8 July to determine new natural and man-made wonders and heritage sites. As The Times of India noted, inscribing a site on the List of World Heritage in Danger permits the World Heritage Committee to allocate resources from the World Heritage Fund to the endangered property.
The Kathmandu Valley was first designated a World Heritage Site in 1979.
* Durbar squares are plazas near the royal palaces consisting of temples, sculptures, courts, fountains, and gardens built by kings dating back to the 14th century.