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Pashupati Area
Towards
Development
One of
the most sacred anf holy areas in the Kathmandu
valley, the Pashupatinath temple is located on the
banks of the Bagmati river on the eastern part of
Kathmandu. This area from time immemorial, is not
only significant from a religious, but also a
socio-cultural and environmental point of view. The
Pashupati temple, one of the holiest of Hindu
shrines, and around which revolves all activities of
this world heritage zone, was constructed in the 3rd
Century BC under patronage of the Somadeva dynasty.
The famous gilt roof was added in 1297 AD and the
temple was further renovated in 1754 by King
Bhupalendra Malla.
This area has been developed, maintained and
preserved since the Licchavi period under patronage
of the erstwhile rulers themselves. Consequently, it
has every style, shape, size and model of every
preceding period and obviously the physical
appearance together with its public sentiments has
also altered with time. Since the last few decades
(specially since 1980) the rate of population growth
and urbanization has risen tremendously, and
consequently the life style of the people of
Kathmandu as well as the urban landscape has also
changed substantially. The impact of modernization
in the valley has had considerable impact on the
socio-cultural and physical appearance of
Pashupatinath temple and its environment too.
Therefore, in consideration of its multidimensional
characteristics, a separate autonomous statutory
body was established in 1990 known as the Pashupati
Area Development Trust (PADT).
Just after the political change of 1991, private
entities together with various government
authorities have conducted massive construction
works in the area without any particularly specific
development plan. In the meantime, urbanization and
commercialization continued to put pressure on the
site. Not only residential houses, but sattal,
pati-pauwa and monasteries were also increasingly
being used for commercial purposes. Public land was
being encroached upon and the guthi land, donated
for religious and social purposes, was being
usurped. Sattals, patis, dabalies as well as other
vacant and roadside spaces were being captured by
home less persons, small vendors and business men as
well as by locally powerful persons to be used for
commercial purposes. Construction of illegal
buildings and use of massive and haphazard concrete
construction went uncontrolled and this was partly
due to politically unstable governments. From the
economic perspective, demolition of built practical
point of view, inappropriate. However, occurrences
such as these that produce a negative impact on
religious and archeological monuments cannot be
compromised either. In this situation, the
preparation of a master plan and its implementation
was really a difficult job. On the other hand, a
clear concept of the overall development strategy
i.e. a guidance for development, preservation as
well as management of this world heritage zone
became imperative.
The preservation and development of the region, its
history, religions, cultures, art and crafts, and
nature as well as the enhancement of this region as
a site of pilgrimage are the main goals of the
development plan. The religious cultures and
traditions here have their own uniqueness; the
vegetation and forests have their own natural
individuality; and the rivers, canals, wells, lakes,
and stone spout too have their own religious and
cultural significance. This area was developed with
nine gates, nine gods, nine goddesses, nine
tap-systems, nine lakes, nine courtyards, nine
roads, and nine fields in ancient times and,
coincidentally, it also has a community comprising
of nine ethnic groups. Finally in 1999, after
several exercises and a long and tedious
bureaucratic process, the government approved the
Pashupati Area Development Master Plan. The plan
introduces clear guidelines on the development and
conservation of this area. The plan can work as a
guide both at the micro and macro levels and in both
the short and the long term. The main objectives can
be summarized as :
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To
promote symbiosis between Man, Nature and
Culture.
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To
revitalize the environment of the area in a
holistic way.
-
Planned and sustainable development
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Conservation, preservation and restoration of
socio-religious, historical and archaeological
important structures.
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Clean and pollution free Bagmati river.
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Scientific management of solid and liquid waste.
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