Rebuilding History

KATHMANDU, Nepal—I am standing next to the ruins of Dharahara. This tower, built almost two centuries ago, was once the tallest structure in the Kathmandu Valley. Over the years, the tower has been a witness to multiple political and social changes.

In the recent earthquake, Dharahara crumbled to the ground, killing seven people as it fell.

Along with the tower, several temples in the three major “durbar squares” of Kathmandu valley have been destroyed. The squares are plazas where old royal palaces and temples stand, and have become central to the public lifestyle. But now the pedestals where towering temples once rose are empty and lifeless.

This architectural heritage contributed to the bulk of tourism in Kathmandu. With the temples gone and the palaces defaced, the tourism industry has been affected. At the same time, Kathmandu has lost icons its residents cherished.

Since all available resources in the city were used for humanitarian aid following the earthquake, many ruin sites were left unguarded for too long. During this absence of oversight, pedestrians were seen to have walked away with the old bricks from the ruins.

The artifacts once housed inside those temples were even more tempting. The intricately carved windows, the bells, and the idols of Hindu gods are valuable and could garner a substantial sum in illegal antiquity markets.

Local volunteers have been trying to guard the rubble, but their best efforts have proven inadequate. The government has started assessing the losses, though it is doubtful that all parts of the monuments can be accounted for.

The government does plan to rebuild its fallen heritage. Swarnim Waglé, a member of Nepal’s National Planning Commission and an alum of Harvard’s Kennedy School, said that the government considers it its responsibility to restore the structures the earthquake destroyed, many of which are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites. And fortunately, the artisan skills responsible for the temples’ beauty have been passed down through generations, and Nepal has many indigenous craftsmen in a position to rebuild what has been lost.

Still, the inevitable juxtaposition of wood carvings with modern construction materials has raised concerns. While it is necessary to make the rebuilt structures resistive to similar natural tragedies, it is also important to make sure that concrete and steel do not defile historic facades.

As with all disasters, the earthquake has not only taken lives, but it has also destroyed history. But unlike material property or economy, history does not easily recover from the ruins. What Nepal will make of its marred treasure remains to be seen.

This is the second postcard in a series of summer postcards from staff writer Pradeep Niroula. The last postcard ran on June 16, 2015.