Reconstruction of a 251-year-old hiti and falcha upsets activists

Heritage activists claim the reconstruction work, carried out under the leadership of mayor Madan Sundar Shrestha, is disrespectful of people’s cultural sentiments.

A few months ago, when Madan Sundar Shrestha, the mayor of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, announced that Falcha Pine Hiti Dune, located in Thimi, Bhaktapur, would be rebuilt keeping intact its original location and design, heritage conservationists breathed a sigh of relief. The 251-year-old hiti was an important piece of heritage for the local people of Thimi but it fell in the way of a road expansion project and thus would be partially damaged, and this worried locals.