Bagmati banks decked up for Chhath celebrations

Preparations for Chhath Puja have reached the final stage on the banks of the Bagmati River at Gaurighat, Thapathali and Balkhu as well as at Kamalpokhari in Kathmandu. The people have started observing Chhath, the festival of the Terai residents, from Monday.

Nepal becoming self-reliant in flower production

Import of flowers from India for the festival of Tihar has been witnessing a steady fall, thanks to the rise in domestic production. Nepal has been seeing an increase in flower production annually, gradually helping the country become self-reliant in flowers. This year, 85 per cent of demand for flowers is expected to be met by domestic production and only the rest – 15 per cent – will be imported from India, according to the Floriculture Association Nepal (FAN). Until recently, the country...

Nil Barahi dance: Some sessions can run for 15 hours

The historic Nil Barahi Dance of Bode has begun from Tuesday. The masked dance, performed for three days and four nights from Bhadra Krishna Dwitiya to Panchami, is believed to have been started by King Subarna Malla around 1511 AD (Nepal Sambat 631) and used to be performed by members of the Tha Shrestha community of Bode. However, for the past 43 years, it has been performed by the Aduwa Shrestha of Lachhi Tole. The dance begins and ends at Akha, the sacred spot in Lachhi near the Bode Narayan...

Valley's World Heritage sites out of danger list

The 44th online session of World Heritage Committee has decided not to put the property of the Kathmandu Valley on the list of World Heritage in Danger. A meeting of the committee that examined and raised some issues concerning the state of conservation of the Kathmandu Valley property is being held in Fuzhou, China. The meeting that began on July 16 will continue till July 31.

Bhaktapur Municipality takes steps to bring stolen idol from France

Bhaktapur Municipality has initiated the steps to claim ownership of and repatriate the 12th century idol of Uma Maheshwor which was stolen from Nasamana, Bhaktapur-3 more than three decades ago. The idol is currently on display at the Guimet National Museum of Asian Arts in France. The agreement to repatriate the statue was signed with the museum two years ago during former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to France. However, it has still not returned.

Nepali cultural artefacts discovered in US, France

Three historical artefacts of Kathmandu Valley have been discovered in the United States of America (USA) and France. The Salabhangika Strut, dating back to around 14th century, was found on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York. As documented in the books ‘The Antiquity of Nepalese Wood Carving’ by Mary Shepherd Slusser and ‘The Gods are Leaving the Country’ by Jurgen Schich, the strut was one amongthree stolen from Itum Bahal, Kathmandu in 1984/85.

DoA in bid to make Panauti, Tilaurakot, Ram Janaki Temple world heritage sites

The Department of Archaeology (DoA) has stepped up efforts to enlist the cities of Panauti and Tilaurakot and the Ram Janaki Temple of Janakpur as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites.

More artefacts returning home from US

Idols of Buddha, Ganesh and a wooden tympanum (Tundal) , all dated from the 13th to 16th century, are returning to Nepal from the United States of America. The items were recovered by the New York Police while being trafficked to be sold in foreign markets. The police informed the New York State’s Attorney General who then informed the Consulate General of Nepal in the city of New York.

Relevant bodies have no record of stolen Taleju necklace

Over hundreds of years, foreign travellers, business and religious preachers took possession of countless cultural objects from Nepal. But we don’t know exactly how many were taken and by whom because no records of artefacts exist from before 1952 when the Department of Archaeology (DoA) was established to protect, preserve, restore, excavate and study the cultural artefacts of the country. Over the past year, many Nepali statues and objet d’art have been discovered in many collections and galleries...

Despite ban, asbestos being sold

The burden of Non-communicable Disease (NCD) is rising globally, especially in developing countries including Nepal. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases have shot up in recent years, and cancer has now become the fifth leading cause of death in the country.