India-funded Nepal heritage project bags UNESCO Asia Pacific Award

The India-funded restoration of Jestha Varna Mahavihara in Lalitpur, Nepal, has won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2025. The project was part of post-earthquake reconstruction efforts with INTACH as the project management consultant.

The restoration and retrofitting of Jestha Varna Mahavihara, Lalitpur, Nepal -- a Government of India-funded project supported through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu -- has been conferred the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2025. The award was officially announced on 20 February 2026.

Project Execution and Conservation Approach

As per a statement by the Ministry of Culture, the project was undertaken as part of the post-earthquake reconstruction, retrofitting initiatives in Nepal with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage) as design and project management consultant. INTACH is a premiere Indian Non-Government Organisation working in the field of Heritage Conservation since 1984. INTACH adopted a holistic conservation approach, grounded in archival research, structural stabilisation, archaeological impact assessment, and the preparation of a comprehensive conservation management plan. Importantly, the project safeguarded Vihara's status as a living heritage site, ensuring that daily rituals and community activities continued uninterrupted throughout the conservation process.

The Jestha Varna Mahavihara situated 300 meters away from the Patan Darbar Square heritage site, was originally two-storeyed, of which the top floor completely collapsed during the 2015 earthquake, making it structurally unstable. After its reconstruction and retrofitting work was completed, the site was inaugurated on 22nd March 2024 and handed over to the community, the statement added.

UNESCO Kathmandu also shared the details in a post on X. A proud moment for Nepal’s heritage! Two incredible sites have been honored at the 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation: ✨ Jestha Varna Mahavihara (Lalitpur) ✨ Lowo Nyiphug Namrol Norbuling Monastery (Mustang) https://t.co/NCboUxvNXy — UNESCO Kathmandu (@UNESCOKathmandu) February 23, 2026

India's Commitment to Nepal's Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

The statement further noted that the project was part of the Government of India's commitment for post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal after the devastating earthquakes of 25th April 2015 and 12th May 2015 that caused huge damage across Nepal, including the destruction of several cultural heritage sites.

INTACH's Role and MoU

For the conservation of 12 cultural heritage sites, the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, appointed INTACH, New Delhi, to provide design and project management consultancy services and an MoU was signed on 12th December 2019. The Architectural Heritage Division of INTACH established its Nepal Office in Kathmandu with a core technical team of Conservation Architects, Architects, and Engineers which was operational until May 2024. (ANI)

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