Reconstruction of Earthquake-damaged ‘Historical Ranipokhari’ Completed!

Nepal’s long wait for the reconstruction of the historical Ranipokhari has come to an end, nearly five years after it was ravaged by the 2015 earthquake.

The famous pond has regained its original glory, style, and shape, as built by King Pratap Malla. However, some slight modifications were made to the structure.

With the completion of the reconstruction, the iconic pond surrounding the Balgopaleshwar Temple has been refilled with water, glorifying the center of Kathmandu. Earlier, the water was drained out from the pond for the reconstruction of the temple.

With the support of the Project Implementation Directorate of the Ministry of Water Supply, the concerned authorities have refilled Ranipokhari with around 27 million liters of water from the Bagmati River through the pipelines of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

The Directorate first stored water in the reservoir tank at the Panipokhari, then used the primary distribution pipe laid for the Melamchi Project to send water to the pond. It took nearly a week to refill the pond.

In addition, the monsoon rainfall has filled the pond with almost a million liters of water.

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) had started the reconstruction works in March last year. The NRA had decided to rebuild the pond by using a traditional style, technology, and construction materials to reflect the style of the Malla era.

The Balgopaleshwar temple was designed in the Gumbaj style before the 2015 earthquakes damaged it. It is now reconstructed in Mallakalin Granthkut style.

As per the initial schedule, the inauguration of the reconstructed temple was supposed to be done by the Head of the State on September 19, 2020. However, the deadline was missed as some minor works were still left to complete on the Balgopeshwar temple.