Nepal's ancient capital in jeopardy

[Guest guest]

Identity of Nepal's ancient capital in jeopardy

 

Bhimsen Thapaliya

 

KATHMANDU, Dec. 27: Hadigaon in the northern part of the capital,

considered by archaeologists as the ancient capital of Nepal, has

been losing its invaluable artifacts due to haphazard construction

and faulty conservation measures.

 

The historical town dating back to the Kirat and Lichhavi era is

considered an extraordinary treasure trove of archaeological objects,

both visible and invisible. Apart from loss of archaeological things

through conservation negligence while building roads and houses,

there have been faulty steps in the name of conservation as well.

These haphazard activities have given prominence to a concrete

culture, putting the original identities of the cultural heritage in

jeopardy.

 

"Conservation activities in Hadigaon have been like nowhere else,"

says cultural researcher Dr. Sudarshan Raj Tiwari who launched his

book "The Brick and the Bull: An Account of Hadigaon, the Ancient

Capital of Nepal" today. Tiwari's remark connotes the famous Nepali

proverb that talks about religious festival here like nowhere else -

Kahi Nabhako Jatra Hadigaonma. In the name of conservation, there has

been over interference of concrete and iron that has deformed the

ancient structures from their original look, says Tiwari, who is an

inhabitant of the area. The Gahana Pokhari (pond) used to have a bed

of sand and soil. This is the pond where the Goddess Tundaldevi lost

her ornaments. Every year the Gahana Khojne (searching for the

ornaments) festival takes place here, which involves hunting and

rummaging in the soft earth. Conservationists have instead paved a

concrete bottom.

 

At Kotal Tole, the cement plaster has not only buried the foundation

of the temple but some other stone idols have partially been covered.

Iron railings and cement plasters have made their way in the outer

parts of the circular pond. The pond has a modern look making it

difficult to imagine what the original one looked like. "The

objective of renovation of an ancient place is to see that the

originality is kept intact. You hardly see that happening here," said

Tiwari.

 

This ancient town has been losing its old buildings with the

construction of commercial structures. The Department of Roads has

not taken into consideration the cultural sensitivities of this place

while building roads, says Tiwari. There are so many conduits,

shrines, inscriptions, pillars and symbolic rocks scattered in the

area which bear deep religious significance. But with the increasing

length of pitched roads, such things have gone under the concrete

layers. "This is a lucky remaining item out of so many cultural

milestones that were lost thanks to the Department of Roads," says

Tiwari pointing to a long and massive rock, half covered in plaster.

According to tradition, the chariot of Tudaldevi must pass over this

stone during the annual festival that falls around April-May.

 

Fifteen days before the Hadigaon Jatra takes place, a ritual is

observed to indicate the coming of the cultural event. During the

rituals, offerings are made to the Shivalinga dug out from the

ground. At this point, it is not possible to dig a pit now as the

road is concretised. The rituals are conducted on the road instead.

 

The Hadigaon area is virtually filled with all kinds of

archaeological objects underneath. When one digs up the ground for

the construction of a house, surfacing of an archaeological piece is

almost certain. Such findings are mostly kept unreported as the

concerned person feels it will land him in trouble. When the

attention of the Department of Archaeology or the media is drawn, a

fresh and tedious process starts which disrupts the construction. "So

the matter is preferably kept hush-hush," says a local resident.

 

In absence of security vigilance, the cases of idol theft are

rampant. Some have been listed in Lain Singh Bangdel's book "Stolen

Images of Nepal". Some ancient statues have been restored or

relocated around here while others are in the National Museum in

Chhauni. Major images stolen include a 13th century goddess, tenth

century Garuda, 12 century Bodhisatwa, the upper half of the 6th

century Vishnu and the 18th century image of Surya.

 

 

----

----------