KATHMANDU VALLEY PRESERVATION TRUST
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Mission Statement
The Trust’s mission is to safeguard the extraordinary and threatened architectural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. The negative impact of today’s development pressures poses a threat not only to individual monuments but to the future of public space and urban life in the valley at large. -safeguard the built heritage of the Kathmandu Valley -support local craftspeople, builders, and traditional artistic guilds -enable international collaborations to advance the field of preservation practice -develop seismic strengthening techniques specific to local building types -maintain an archive of architectural research and documentation .
About This Cause
1. Overview The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) kvptnepal.org is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to the safeguarding and preservation of the extraordinary historic architecture of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. It works primarily by initiating, funding, and implementing preservation projects, as well as through advocacy, job training and employment, architectural museum galleries, tours, education, and publications. Although relatively small, the Valley is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including royal urban ensembles of its three historic city-states, Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Each of these comprises a royal palace and square that date to the centuries before the valley was unified under the Shah dynasty in the 18th Century. The Trust's work has mainly been focused in and around the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Patan Darbar and Kathmandu Darbar. 2. History The Trust was founded in 1991 by architectural historian Eduard Sekler (then team leader of the UNESCO Campaign to Safeguard the Cultural Heritage of the Kathmandu Valley) and architect Erich Theophile, who is the Trust’s Executive director. KVPT has headquarters in New York City and Patan, Nepal. KPVT’s projects are run by a team of Nepali architects and craftspeople in Patan, working closely with the Government of Nepal, Department of Archaeology. Establishment of the Trust ‘Historically, buildings in the Kathmandu Valley used by the public, such as mandir (temples), shrines, and patis (rest houses), were maintained by social groups called guthis,which functioned as religious land trusts. The proceeds from their land were used for the buildings’ upkeep until the 1950’s, when many land trusts were nationalized. As a result, by the 1970’s and 80’s, many historic structures which had remained intact for centuries had begun to deteriorate due to lack of maintenance and eventually began to fall apart. KVPT was created in response to this rapid loss of the historic architecture of the Kathmandu Valley, with the mission to safeguard these extraordinary structures through restoration and advocacy. With the support of the Getty Fund, Boston philanthropist Watson Dickerman, and then US Ambassador to Nepal Julia Chang Bloch, Sekler and Theophile established the Trust in 1990 to adopt structures in disrepair, and fund and implement their restoration. Before the 2015 Nepal earthquake, KVPT saved over 50 traditional buildings throughout the valley including rest-houses, temples, monasteries, stepwells, and the ten-year restoration and adaptive re-use of the Patan Royal Palace Complex adjoining Patan Durbar Square. Preservation combined with Seismic strengthening is KVPT’s common practice; after the earthquake, additional seismic strengthening techniques were developed as foundations were exposed for the first time. 3. Earthquake Response Campaign 2015-2023 KVPT’s presence in Patan during the catastrophic 2015 Nepal earthquakes allowed the team to spearhead the rescue and protection of thousands of historic architectural fragments from the debris, and to shore up shaky structures to prevent them from collapsing. KVPT’s scope expanded with the Trust’s Earthquake Response, focused around the Patan and Kathmandu Durbars. KVPT began work after the earthquake to rebuild and restore three dozen historic structures using rescued carvings and other historic elements. KVPT also increased planning, education, and advocacy to improve projects and support local professionals, craftsmen, laborers, and scholars. By 2019, KVPT had completed over 60 preservation projects on historic buildings and monuments in cooperation with the Nepal Department of Archaeology. The Trust, the only registered INGO dedicated to historic preservation in Nepal, is supported by a diverse mix of local, international, private, public, and institutional donors. Projects are implemented by KVPT’s local office, craftsmen, and laborers, with mostly volunteer support by an international team of experts. The historic temples, palaces, and monasteries of the Kathmandu Valley are a world-class artistic and cultural treasure as well as a significant economic engine supporting tourism, Nepal's most important industry. Most of KVPT’s projects are within the Patan Darbar and Kathmandu Darbar UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Nepal. The Patan Royal Palace Complex was listed on the World Monuments Fund Watch in 2006 and in 2016, WMF placed the Kathmandu Valley on its Watch. 4. Recent Recognition KVPT's Nepal Program Director Rohit Ranjitkar received the Nepal National Medal of Honor for his work with KVPT in 2019. KVPT's Executive Director Erich Theophile was invited by the World Monuments Fund to give the 2019 Paul Mellon Lecture in New York City. 5. List of Projects (as of November 2019) Earthquake Response Campaign Projects To date (2015-2019) Earthquake Response Patan -to date: Manimandapa Pati South 2015-2018 Manimandapa Pati North 2015-2018 Vishveshvara Temple 2015-2018 Patan Palace - North Taleju 2015-2018 Krishna Mandir 2015-2018 Bahadur Shah Palace 2016 -2017 Patan Palace - South Taleju 2015-2016 Sundari Cok Palace East Wing 2015-2017 King Yoganarendra Malla Pillar 2016-2017 Bhimsen Lion Pillar 2015 Ikhalakhu Narayan Temple Char Narayana Temple 2016-2019 Harishankara Temple 2016-2019 Sulima Mahadeva Temple (2018) Sulima Agamchhe (2014-2018) (increased scope after earthquake) Night Lighting - Patan Darbar -ongoing Patan Palace - Rear Courtyards - ongoing Muchhe Agamchhe - ongoing Architectural Galleries in Patan Palace - ongoing Octagonal Krishna Temple - ongoing Bhai Degah Temple 2016-ongoing (technical assistance by KVPT) Patukva Ganesh Temple -ongoing (technical assistance by KVPT) Earthquake Response Kathmandu -to date: Saraswoti Temple 2017-2018 Kageshwor Mahadev Temple 2016-2018 Laxmi Narayan Temple 2016-2017 Saraswoti Temple 2017-2018 Mahadev Temple North 2016-2017 Itum Baha 2002, 2015-2018 Tripura Sundari Temple-ongoing (technical assistance by KVPT) Patan Royal Palace Complex at Patan Darbar 2006-2016: Sundari Cok Palace 2010-2015 Bahadur Shah (North) Wing 2012-2014 Taleju Temple (South) 2012-2014 Golden Doorway 2012 Yantaju Shrine 2012 Taleju Temple (North) 2012 Stone Gates 2012 Mul Cok Palace 2010-2012 Kot Pati 2010-2012 Saraswoti Temple 2017-2018 Tusha Hiti at Sundari Cok 2010-2011 Bhankarkhal Tank 2008-2010 Kathmandu Darbar Initiative 2001-2005: Kal Bhairab 2003-2005 Jagannath Temple 2001-2005 Indrapur Temple 2001-2002 Narayan Temple 2002 Kageshwar Mahadev Temple 2005 Laxmi Narayan Temple 2007 Mahadev Temple North 2007 Mahadev Temple South 2007 Buddhist Kathmandu 1999-2005: Chusyabaha Monastery 1999-2001 Yetkhabaha Agam 2002-2005 Itum Baha Monastery 2000-2005, 2014-2018 Earlier Patan Projects: Chobhar Ganesh Temple 2004 Jyababahi Pati 2002 Ayu Guthi Sattal 1999-2001 Tumbaha Narayan Temple 1999 Kulima Narayan Temple 1998 Sulima Mahadeva Temple restoration 1996-1999 Lakhe Shrestha Agamchhe 1996 Patukva Agamchhen 1994 Kwalakhu Pati 1993 Radha Krishna Temple 1991-1992 Uma Maheshwor Temple 1992 Mani Gufa Temple 1991 Bhaktapur Project: Chupinghat Music School 1998