BUDDHIST KATHMANDU CAMPAIGN

RESTORATION: FEBRUARY 2002 - ONGOING
FUNDED BY:
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
WORLD MONUMENTS FUND
SUMITOMO FOUNDATION

Most attention paid to the architectural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is focused on World Heritage Sites. Other sites have been largely neglected. This situation, however, is changing through the efforts of the Buddhist Kathmandu Campaign. Kathmandu's rich Buddhist heritage does not dominate public space: it is found in semi-public courtyards, often accessible only through narrow passages or gates. Overlooked by preservationists, hundreds of individual monastic institutions survive, many still deserving documentation, protection, and preservation. 18 major monasteries, 10 Shakya bahas, 16 bahis and some 60 branch monasteries can be found within the urban core of Kathmandu alone.

Only five of these structures retain the unique character of a square ground plan. Within the core of Kathmandu and along the Bishnumati river, 579 caityas have been identified, of which 69 incorporate ancient fragments of the Licchavi era (6th/7th century). The restoration of Chusyabaha monastery from 1999 - 2001, followed by the restoration of the Yethkabaha Agam building and Itumbaha monastery, marked the beginning of a new awareness and brings hope for the safeguard of other neglected Buddhist spaces throughout the valley. In addition to physical rehabilitation, the campaign included intensive research, documentation, and advocacy.