People’s Power to Heritage
The grandeur of people’s unity for the love of heritage
Bhaktapur, literally means the “City of Devotees,” an identity enshrined in its history resonating in frequency with the locals, and has always been upheld and even more so in recent times as evident by the voluntary participation of locals in the renovation of Nyatapola Temple, Taumadi (Tamari), Bhaktapur.
The word “Nyata” means 5 storeyed and “Pola” means Roof in Nepal Bhasa, as the name suggests, Nyatapola temple is a five-storeyed temple. Built in 1702 A.D. (Nepal Sambat 822) by the Malla king of Bhaktapur — King Bhupatindra Malla — Nyatapola, serves as a source of identity, innovation and creativity while culturally it is amanifestation of goddess Siddhilaxmi. The architecture of this temple portrays the glorious history of the eighteenth century, and everyone who passes by would be awestruck by the aesthetic beauty that’s vividly alive even today. The temple alongside the other heritages of Bhaktapur was listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979 A.D. (2035 B.S.)
Creation of predecessors- Our art and culture
The motto adopted by Bhaktapur Municipality, “Creation of predecessors — Our art and culture” resonates deeply with Bhaktapurians. This is apparent in the recent renovation of Nyatapola Temple, which was met with utmost enthusiasm and unified actions among the people of Bhaktapur. The locals, especially older women and men, participating in the renovation works would be seen with full of excitement and happiness. They rediate the love and respect that they have towards their heritage — towards our heritage.
While I visited Bhaktapur after the lockdown eased up in the midst of June, I was amazed at the women sitting at the second-top tier of Nyatapola singing Newari song “Rajamati” and passing handfuls of mud to each other. For me, this served as a clear reminder of how the people of Bhaktapur treat the heritages as their own and contribute their efforts selflessly for its preservation.
After the Gorkha earthquake 2015 (August 25, 2015), the topmost layer of the temple got wrecked on one side. Even in the earthquake of 1934, the damage was almost insignificant, and only the top roof fell over. This proves the majesty of Nyatapola and how the monument is standing tall — as sturdy as ever.
After the German Development Bank (KfW) withdrew its support — in light of Bhaktapur Municipality rejecting the conditions and rules which posed threats to the organic rebuilding protocol — the municipality gave precedence to local means and expertise, and organized renovation works through local user committees to rebuild damaged monuments. This has increased people’s engagement towards the development of different heritages in and around the Bhaktapur area. This of course begs to ask the question why isn’t this being done more often for the numerous heritages that are still in a dilapidated state?
Nyatapola Renovation
The Bhaktapur Municipality formed the Nyatapola Conservation and Restoration Users’ Committee on Kartik 7, 2076, and allocated Rs. 65,13,358 for the renovation of the temple. To our surprise, the final expenditure was just approximately 53% of the initially allocated fund. A surplus of Rs. 35,13,385 still remains in the fund and the credit goes to the local support and contribution — considering the heritage as their own. A total of Rs. 12,80,000 was contributed by the locals, and the rest from thousands of people who supported the renovation works enabling it to be completed on time even amidst the COVID 19 pandemic.
The real value of ownership can be seen in people’s faces during their voluntary labor contributions. The participation was self-contributory from the individuals, guthis, organizations, teams, clubs, etc. from various parts of the region.
Bhaktapur is a pristine city, well-known for the preservation of its integrity and authenticity. The architecture, age-old traditions of art, culture and excellent craftsmanship is still evident and as beautiful as ever. The Nyatapola temple was, is and will always remain as a symbol of unity and inspiration to all the people of this beautiful city and beyond.
