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India-Funded Nepal Temple Restoration Wins UNESCO Asia Pacific Award

The restoration of Nepal's Jestha Varna Mahavihara, funded by the Government of India, has received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit for 2025. The project was part of India's commitment to post-earthquake reconstruction in Nepal following the devastating 2015 earthquakes. INTACH served as the design and project management consultant, employing a holistic conservation approach that allowed daily rituals to continue uninterrupted. The restored site was inaugurated and handed back to the community in March 2024.

Key Points: India-Funded Nepal Heritage Site Wins UNESCO Award

  • Post-earthquake reconstruction
  • Holistic conservation approach
  • Living heritage preserved
  • India-Nepal cultural cooperation
2 min read

Government of India-funded restoration of Nepal's Jestha Varna Mahavihara conferred UNESCO Award of Merit

UNESCO confers Award of Merit for restoration of Jestha Varna Mahavihara in Nepal, a project funded by the Government of India.

"safeguarded Vihara's status as a living heritage site - Ministry of Culture statement"

New Delhi, February 26

The restoration and retrofitting of Jestha Varna Mahavihara, Lalitpur, Nepal -- a Government of India-funded project supported through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu -- has been conferred the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2025. The award was officially announced on 20 February 2026.

As per a statement by the Ministry of Culture, the project was undertaken as part of the post-earthquake reconstruction, retrofitting initiatives in Nepal with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage) as design and project management consultant. INTACH is a premiere Indian Non-Government Organisation working in the field of Heritage Conservation since 1984. INTACH adopted a holistic conservation approach, grounded in archival research, structural stabilisation, archaeological impact assessment, and the preparation of a comprehensive conservation management plan. Importantly, the project safeguarded Vihara's status as a living heritage site, ensuring that daily rituals and community activities continued uninterrupted throughout the conservation process.

The Jestha Varna Mahavihara situated 300 meters away from the Patan Darbar Square heritage site, was originally two-storeyed, of which the top floor completely collapsed during the 2015 earthquake, making it structurally unstable. After its reconstruction and retrofitting work was completed, the site was inaugurated on 22nd March 2024 and handed over to the community, the statement added.UNESCO Kathmandu also shared the details in a post on X.

The statement further noted that the project was part of the Government of India's commitment for post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal after the devastating earthquakes of 25th April 2015 and 12th May 2015 that caused huge damage across Nepal, including the destruction of several cultural heritage sites. For the conservation of 12 cultural heritage sites, the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, appointed INTACH, New Delhi, to provide design and project management consultancy services and an MoU was signed on 12th December 2019. The Architectural Heritage Division of INTACH established its Nepal Office in Kathmandu with a core technical team of Conservation Architects, Architects, and Engineers which was operational until May 2024.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Great to see Indian expertise and funding being recognised internationally. INTACH has done phenomenal work. This is real soft power - helping a friend rebuild their history.
A
Aman W
While this is a positive story, I do hope we are applying the same rigorous conservation standards and allocating sufficient funds for our own countless heritage sites that are crumbling. Charity begins at home, as they say.
S
Sarah B
The fact that they kept it as a "living heritage site" with daily rituals continuing is the most impressive part. Conservation isn't just about bricks and mortar, it's about preserving the soul of a place. Kudos to the team!
V
Vikram M
Nepal and India share deep civilizational bonds. Helping restore their cultural sites damaged in the quake was not just aid, it was a duty. The UNESCO award is a well-deserved recognition for the skilled architects and engineers who worked on this.
K
Karthik V
This is the kind of news that makes me proud. Practical, on-ground work that strengthens ties and preserves history. More of this, please!

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