Dathu Baha fall made Bhaktapur realise the importance of communal space. Hence, they toiled hard to rebuild it

Around 50 years ago, after her wedding at the age of 21, Laxmi Prajapati moved to Madhyapur Thimi. Following the family tradition, the bride and her husband visited religious sites around the neighbourhood. One of the earliest religious visits as a newlywed couple was to Jetbarna Mahabihar in Dathu Baha.

For many years that followed, Prajapati visited the place almost every morning. As she grew ageing, the place also served as a place to spend leisure with other peers. “But with time, the place got deteriorated as the 2015 earthquakes destroyed it and then people started ignoring it. And then, we also stopped coming here.”