A La Trobe University lecturer will help rebuild ancient temples in Nepal that were devastated by the country’s 2015 earthquake.
Archaeologist Keir Strickland will work with an international team of archaeologists, architects, engineers and soil scientists to assess the damage caused to UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April last year.
The team, which is funded by the British Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by UNESCO, will focus on the Kasthamandap temple in Kathmandu Durbar Square and shrines at Hanuman Dhoka.
The Kasthamandap temple, one of Kathmandu’s most iconic monuments, was reduced to rubble by the earthquake.Dr Strickland said the temple and shrines had been a major source of income for the community. “Hundreds of beautifully ornate temples of timber, stone, brick and bronze, which played an intangible role in the daily lives of locals, were damaged or destroyed by the quake. These sacred sites linked the earth with the heavens, connecting devotees with their guiding deities,” he said.
“[Kasthamandap temple] was one of the most recognisable and loved buildings in Kathmandu and there’s huge pressure on the Nepali government to rebuild it, as quickly as possible. It’s also critical that these historic sites of universal value be restored in ways that don’t further damage them, maintaining their authenticity and integrity.”
