Patan Royal Palace to be Restored by U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation

September 14, 2009

Chargé d’Affaires Jeffrey Moon (right) handing over the mock cheque to Rohit Ranjitkar (second from right), the Project Director, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) to initiate a restoration program. Also in picture: PAO Terry White (State Dept.)

The Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust will receive a grant of $900,000 (NRs 6 Crore 90 Lakhs) to restore the Patan Royal Palace in Lalitpur through the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program, one of only three projects (out of 16 proposals) to receive funding in 2009 for large-scale partnership-based cultural preservation projects at sites of global significance. During a public ceremony at the project site in Lalitpur (one of the principal historical cities of the Kathmandu valley), Charge d'Affaires Jeffrey Moon handed over a mock cheque to Dr. Rohit Ranjitkar, the Project Director, Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT).

The Patan Royal Palace in Nepal is regarded as one of South Asia’s finest and most intact historic urban royal ensembles. It dates from the 17th and 18th centuries, a period in the reign of the medieval Malla dynasty (A.D. 1200-1768). This restoration project will foster increased understanding between cultures and create a world-class institution furthering knowledge of Nepalese culture, local training and education, and economic development. Over the past eight years, the U.S. Government has committed, prior to this project, approximately $355,500 dollars to restore and preserve eight cultural sites throughout Nepal.