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

September 14, 2009

The U.S. Embassy of Kathmandu is pleased to announce that the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust will receive a grant of $900,000 USD (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. This project is one of only three worldwide to receive funding from this prestigious, highly competitive program in 2009.

The U.S. State Department invited only 16 countries world-wide, including Nepal, to submit proposals for large-scale partnership-based cultural preservation projects at sites of global significance. The other two projects granted this award are for the conservation of the Sacred City of Caral ($800,000 USD) in Peru, and for the restoration of the Monastery of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos in Ohrid, Macedonia ($650,000 USD).

The Patan Royal Palace in Nepal is regarded as one of South Asia's finest and most intact historic urban royal ensembles. The palace and most of its associated buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries, a period in the reign of the medieval Malla dynasty (A.D. 1200-1768).  The most significant impacts of this restoration project include fostering increased understanding between cultures, the creation of a world-class institution furthering knowledge of Nepalese culture, local training and education, and economic development.

Previously, over the past eight years, the U.S. Government has committed approximately $355,500 dollars to restore and preserve eight cultural sites throughout Nepal. Projects supported by the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation are: the restoration of Kal Bhairav and Kageshwor Temple in Kathmandu's Durbar Square; rebuilding the Lakshmi Narayan and Mahadev Temples in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square, the Machali Pati in Teku, Nag Bahal Hiti in Lalitpur, Ancient Buddhist Chhortens in upper Mustang; and 17th Century Water Architecture in the Patan Durbar in Lalitpur.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 2001, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation provides direct grant support for the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression in countries around the world. Since its inception, the Fund has supported more than 500 cultural preservation projects in more than 100 countries, totaling more than $13.4 million.