Nepal's Jestha Varna Mahavihar receives 2025 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation

Key facts

• The Jestha Varna Mahavihar in Lalitpur, Nepal, was granted the Award of Merit under the 2025 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
• The restoration of the Mahavihar was funded by the Government of India at a cost of NPR 13.78 crore as part of post-earthquake reconstruction grants.
• The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) acted as the Project Management Consultant in coordination with the Central Level Project Implementation Unit (CLPIU) of the Government of Nepal.
• The Government of India committed USD 1 billion for reconstruction following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, completing 50,000 private houses, 70 schools, 1 library, 122 health facilities, and 17 cultural heritage sites.
• India has been involved in 30 cultural heritage projects across eight districts of Nepal: Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dhading, and Gorkha.
• Key restored projects include the Seto Machhindranath Temple in Kathmandu, Kumari Ghar and Jestha Varna Mahavihar in Lalitpur, Jangam Math in Bhaktapur, and Tarkey Ghyang Gumba in Sindhupalchowk.