By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 5: After reopening for general public on November 18, the Hanumandhoka Durbar Museum, which was closed following the government-imposed lockdown to curb the ongoing pandemic, has seen a surge of visitors.
Sandeep Khanal, Executive Director of Hanumandhoka Durbar Museum Development Committee, said that the museum opens from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm for domestic and foreign visitors.
Almost 50 to 100 visitors have been visiting the palace museum on a daily basis since its reopening.
After the earthquake, the three galleries related to three Shah Kings-- Mahendra, Birendra and Tribhuvan were closed for the visitors. Now erecting a temporary shed, the relics of the three galleries are put on display for visitors.
Currently, Gaddhi Baithak has been closed for the visitors even though it was open for public earlier.
“The renovation of the museum section of the historical building has been completed with only a few finishing touches left here and there,” added Khanal.
Other parts related to museum section such as the nine-storied palace, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and Kirtipur towers are still under construction.
Renovation of the nine-storied palace, under the financial support from the government of China, is currently on hold.
With the spreading of COVID-19, the officials related to nine-storied palace construction had gone back to China and have not returned yet.
According to Kanal, they will be back only after the Chinese New Year in February. “We have complied with the safety measures bearing the pandemic in mind.
Visitor’s body temperature are taken and social distancing is maintained in queues with proper sanitisation facilities in place,” said Khanal.