By Our Correspondent
Sindhuligadi, Feb. 8: The ancient Sindhuligadhi Palace of Kamalamai Municipality, Sindhuli, which has been in a state of disarray and ruin for several years, is finally being constructed to restore the structure to its former glory.
The reconstruction project has been allocated a budget of Rs. 43.8 million, under the supervision and planning of the Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Ministry of Bagmati Province.
According to the municipality, an agreement was signed in January 5 between the Tulsi/Yarisa Joint Ventures Bhaktapur and Tourism Development Project to complete the construction work by May 30, 2022.
The Department of Archeology will coordinate and provide technical suggestions to rebuild the historical palace in its original shape and form.
Sagar Kumar Dhakal, researcher and Administrative Officer of Kamalamai Municipality, said that Bambir Bikram Singh Kunwar, nephew of Junga Bahadur Rana constructed the palace in 1899 for his personal use.
The municipality has formulated a master plan and has already begun works to develop the Sindhuligadhi area as a tourism destination, said Dhakal.
“The visitors who visited the Sindhuligadhi area felt joyless upon seeing only ruins of the ancient palace. Despite taking the initiative to reconstruct the palace earlier, the municipality has only recently taken the initiative to take the plan off the ground,” he added.
Until 1963, the palace premises were utilised as an office for handling administrative work of Sindhuli and Ramechhap districts.
While constructions of the historical turrets, drinking water project, and picnic spots along with other physical structure have already been completed, the War Museum of Nepal Army has reached the final stage of completion.
According to Khil Raj Devkota, the palace, at first glance is reminiscent of Bhaktapur’s 55 window palace. “The historic fort is an indispensable ornament of Sindhuligadhi,” he added.