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The government has prepared a second master plan that aims to highlight the international significance of Pashupatinath Temple. While the temple is primarily associated with the Hindu religion, the government aims to create a welcoming environment for people of all faiths to visit and experience the temple's rich tangible and intangible assets. Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), an autonomous body formed in 1988, has been overseeing the task of protecting, managing and developing the tangible and intangible heritage of the temple area. Last week, PADT approved the second master plan, which focuses on promoting the international significance of the most revered temple in the country. Ramkumar Phuyal, a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), says the second master plan for the Pashupatinath temple area is a national pride project. He believes the Pashupatinath temple area has the potential to gain an international renown due to its rich heritage. To promote the temple on the international stage, the PADT is undertaking the first-ever excavation of seven important sites in the temple area. These sites include Pashupatinath, Kailash, Bhashmeshwar Ghat, Navagraha, Karmuka Suvarnapuri, and Devpattan, and places with references to the Gopal dynasty and Kirant period. The Pashupati Area Conservation and Management Master Plan, which was prepared two years ago but not approved at the time, has now been revised and completed by a nine-member technical committee consisting of experts such as Chandramani Adhikari and Damodar Gautam, among others. The plan has been approved by the PADT board of directors. The master plan states that historical and cultural heritages in the Pashupatinath temple area will be protected and managed. Culture experts say Pashupatinath temple is located in the ancient settlement known as Devpattan, and it reflects the architecture of the Lichchhavi era. The temple area is also considered an archeological site and an open museum. The master plan will protect over three dozen Lichchhavi-era inscriptions discovered in the area. PADT Member-Secretary Milan Kumar Thapa says the implementation of the master plan will transform the entire Pashupatinath area. The master plan, he says, prioritizes the study, research, exploration, and excavation of seven key areas and references, including Pashupatinath and Kailash, with the assistance and coordination of the Department of Archeology. The main objective of the master plan is to protect and manage the archeological and cultural heritage sites in the Pashupatinath area, including Devpattan, various ghats, sacred caves, religious river, forests, and the local flora and fauna. The government is preparing to invest Rs 1.3bn in the first five years to implement the master plan. The plan is to spend Rs 300-350 million annually thereafter. This does not include regular development expenses of the PADT. Pashupatinath is renowned for its distinctive art and architecture. As the most important of the 12 Jyotirlingas, or Maha Jyotirlinga, it is considered a highly sacred site by Hindus the world over. Hindus believe that a pilgrimage is not complete unless one visits the Pashupatinath temple. Cultural expert Bhim Nepal notes that the various forms of art and architecture at Pashupatinath reflect different periods in Nepal’s history, and they must be conserved. The master plan also aims at protecting and managing the Guthi, a committee that has been preserving the tangible and intangible heritage of the Pashupatinath area since the Lichchhavi period. Nepal, who is also a former director general of the National Archives, says there is an international significance of conserving and managing Pashupatinath as one of the oldest recognized sites in Kathmandu Valley. He adds the references to Pashupati in the context of Nepal in the Himavat Khanda, an ancient scripture, further highlighting the importance of Pashupatinath. The master plan also seeks to revitalize the fairs and festivals that are integral to the Pashupatinath area's intangible culture and heritage. Some of these fairs have disappeared, while others are at risk of disappearing. The master plan aims to make fairs such as the Akashbhairav Jatra, Bachhaleshwari Jatra, Bajreshwari Jatra, Sri Jayavageshwari Jatra, Ropai Jatra, Khadga Jatra, Gaijatra, Shiva-Parvati Jatra, Shri Krishna Jatra, Indra Jatra, Ganesh Jatra, Guheshwari Jatra, and Madhavnarayan Jatra more managed.   Sitaram Risel, deputy director of the PADT, adds major festivals that take place at the temple, such as Mahashivaratri, Bala Chaturdashi, Dhanurmas, Navratri, Dashain, Teej and Chhayan Darshan, will also be promoted.   Suresh Adhikari, secretary of the Ministry of Culture, says that the master plan will be sent to the National Planning Commission, as it is a national pride project. The budget for the plan will be included in the multi-year system once the commission approves it. The Ministry of Finance will then allocate the budget accordingly.   Meanwhile, the PADT board of directors has decided to prohibit new construction, except when necessary, at the core Pashupatinath area.   Under the master plan, new structures would be allowed to be built only on the land next to the Tilganga Eye Hospital. The board has also incorporated plans to build a Sanskrit university, international research center, hospital, old age home, and a religious center on 534 ropani of land in Gothatar. Pashupatinath attracts a large number of visitors, with numbers reaching as high as 700,000 on Maha Shivaratri, 400,000 on Teej, and around 200,000 on Bala Chaturdashi and Mondays of the Nepali month of Shravan (mid-July to mid-August). On other days, the visitor footfall is around 25,000. What’s in the master plan? The government has developed a master plan with seven strategies to make Pashupatinath a destination for all. These include strategies to promote Shaiva philosophy and eternal form and belief in religion, faith, sanctity, and spirituality; protect the cultural, archeological, and historical heritage of both tangible and intangible nature; develop Pashupatinath as an international pilgrimage site; provide human, social, and public welfare services; protect and promote natural resources and biological diversity; manage disaster risk in the Pashupatinath area; and organize, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the work in the area.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated Pokhara International Airport amidst a special program on Sunday. The Prime Minister had arrived in Pokhara this morning to inaugurate the airport. He was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel. Senior leaders of various political parties had also reached Pokhare to attend the inauguration ceremony. With the inauguration of the airport, all the domestic flights will be operated from today. The locals of Pokhara have been elected with the operation of the airport after a long wait. The prosperity of Pokhara has been expected from the same. Though the airport officially came into operation from today, the date for the operation of international flights has not been fixed yet. Thai Smile Airways and Jazeera Airways among others have been showing willingness to operate the flights, the Civil Aviation Authority said. The Pokhara Metropolitan City gave its citizens the public holiday today to make the day special.

Preparations have been made for the grand inauguration of newly constructed Pokhara Regional International Airport. The Pokhara Regional international airport is going to be officially brought into operation from January 1, 2023, the first day of English New Year. According to Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to inaugurate the airport amidst a grand ceremony. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel, top leaders of different political parties, industrialists, and tourism entrepreneurs would attend the inauguration, said Director of Pokhara International Airport, Bikram Gautam. All the preparations for the inauguration of the airport have reached the final phase, he added.  All crew members and passengers of the first plane landing at Pokhara International Airport would be welcomed with garlands, according to the Pokhara International Airport Civil Aviation Office. Similarly, the inauguration programme would start from 11:00 am and the celebration programme is scheduled after 2:00 pm. The inauguration programme would be made grand by organising different processions, fashion shows at coordination of Pokhara Metropolitan City and Pokhara Tourism Council, mentioned Gautam. Pokhara metropolis has said a variety of programmes as cultural tableaus of various ethnic communities, felicitation programme, cultural performances and celebration would be organized on the occasion. Various personalities, including Shankar Raj Pathak, who conceptualized the construction of an international airport in Pokahara, would be felicitated. The Pokhara Metropolitan City had carried out a cleaning programme from the Lakeside up to Kotre on December 28 targeting the inauguration. Stating that the Pokhara International Airport is a matter of pride for the city, Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya insisted on making the inauguration programme grandiose and systematic. “The Pokhara International Airport is not only the dream of the Pokharelis (dwellers of Pokhara) for many decades, but it is the ‘lifeline’ of the entire western region of the country. The efficient operation of the airport is going to be important,” he said, adding that the metropolis is carrying out works to make the inauguration a grand occasion. Mayor Acharya informed that various sub-committees have been formed for this.  According to him, the airport is going to be a milestone for the promotion of tourism not only in Pokhara but the entire country, so the message of its inauguration should be spread throughout the world. The direct air connectivity with international cities would contribute more in the promotion of Pokhara. All the domestic flights would be conducted from the Pokhara airport from the day of its opening. The private airlines companies have made preparations including setting up offices for starting flights from the new airport. The Buddha Air, Saurya Airlines and Yeti Airlines have already conducted successful test flights. Construction of an international airport in Pokhara has been a dream of the Pokhara folks for five decades and it has been realized now. The operation of the international airport has elated the Pokhara dwellers and the tourism entrepreneurs and kindled hope that it would open the door to prosperity of Pokhara. “Pokhara is a major tourism destination in the country and the tourism industry is definitely going to be benefitted from the operation of the international airport. Hence, the excitement especially among the tourism entrepreneurs here,” said Pom Narayan Shrestha, President of Pokhara Tourism Council. He expressed the confidence that tourist arrival to the town will increase with the operation of the international airport, giving a boost to the tourism sector marred by COVID pandemic. Shrestha said the tourism entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen are all happy in the hope that it will revive tourism. The Pokhara Regional International Airport is constructed by the Chinese construction company – CAMCE. The airport was handed over to Nepal during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April last year. Some works of the airport were remaining at that time.

The country’s weather is likely to remain partly to generally cloudy in the coming week. The influence of westerly wind is likely to cause partial to general changes in the mountainous belt and bring light snowfall in the hilly areas. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly region of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province while chances of light snowfall are at a few places of high mountainous region of the country today. The Department further said that there will be light partly to generally cloudy in the hilly regions of the country while the weather will be partly cloudy to mainly fair in the rest of the country tonight. Light rain is possible at one or two places of hilly regions of Province 1, Gandaki Province, Karnali Province and Sudur Paschim Province Chances of light snowfall at a few places of high mountainous region of the country tonight, according to the Department. The Department has urged one and all to remain cautious of the complications brought out by the changes in weather conditions. According to the recent updates, today the Kathmandu Valley recorded a minimum temperature of 4.0 degree Celsius and maximum 16.2 degree Celsius.