India-funded Nepal monastery wins UNESCO conservation award
A 17th-century Buddhist monastery in Nepal, damaged in the 2015 quake and reconstructed with Indian assistance, has received an award from the UN’s heritage agency for conservation.
Jestha Varna Mahavihar at Lalitpur, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, was handed over the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) award at a ceremony on Thursday. A metal plaque and an official certificate for the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation were handed over by Jaco Du Toit, UNESCO Representative in Nepal, to the Jestha Varna Mahavihar User Committee in an award handover ceremony at Lalitpur.
Jestha Varna Mahavihar was reconstructed under the government of India’s post-2015 earthquake reconstruction grant in the cultural heritage sector in Nepal for Nepalese rupees (NPR) 13.78 crore, the Indian mission in Kathmandu said in a statement. The ceremony was attended by Rakesh Pandey, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of India, and other dignitaries from Nepal.
Pandey congratulated the user community and other stakeholders as he highlighted that the success of the Jestha Varna Mahavihar project underscores the deep-rooted cultural and historical ties shared by India and Nepal.
He also reiterated the government of India’s continued commitment to partnering with the government and the people of Nepal in preserving and restoring the rich and shared cultural identity.
The conservation project is recognised by UNESCO for its exemplary community-centred approach, the Indian missions said, adding that it combines modern earthquake safety upgrades with the preservation of traditional architecture and detailed historical Newari woodcarvings.
The redeveloped Jestha Varna Mahavihar was inaugurated by the Indian ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava and the then Nepali Minister of Urban Development, Dhan Bahadur Budha on March 22, 2024.
The Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage from India provided technical expertise as the Project Management Consultant as part of the reconstruction efforts and the conservation body worked in close coordination with the Central Level Project Implementation Unit of the government of Nepal and the local community.
