Ratna Mandir, the Lakeside palace where members of the royal family used to stay when they visited Pokhara, is yet to open for public. Two years ago, Nepal Trust had decided to transform Ratna Mandir into a museum and started preliminary works such as painting, cleaning up the locality and printing entry tickets. But the palace is still not ready. Nepal Trust had planned to open Ratna Mandir as a museum by June 2016. Surrounded by tall walls on three sides, the palace is in the middle of the Fewa Lake, which makes it a place of great curiosity for locals and foreigners alike.
The engineer of Nepal Trust Srikant Bhattarai revealed that Ratna Mandir could not be developed as a museum as the Ministry of Finance had failed to pony up the needed amount. He said that although an estimated Rs 50 million would be required, the ministry has not set aside any budget for it.
The office head of Ratna Mandir Krishna Guvaju said that the palace needs to be repaired as the stones that make up the roof of the main building has started coming off. Entrance tickets had been printed two years ago—costing Rs 1,000 for foreigners, Rs 100 for locals and Rs 50 for students.
Travel agents in Pokhara say Ratna Mandir will be a big tourist draw. Barahi Mandir, which is in the middle of Fewa Lake, attracts over a 1,000 visitors every day.
On April 20, 2016 the committee meeting of the Nepal Trust had decided to develop a ‘garden of dreams’ along with the museum. Maintenance works started right after that. Yet they have been painfully slow. Before turning the palace into a museum, a ticket house, a garden, and a resting area have to be built. Along with that, drinking water and toilets are also needed.
King Mahendra had built the palace for Queen Ratna in 1956. Late King Mahendra, and then King Birendra and King Gyanendra used to stay there whenever they visited Pokhara. The palace is spread over 56,468 square meters and the 11-room main bungalow is its centerpiece. Along with that, there is a boat house, an ACD office and a garden.
Civil society coordinator of Pokhara Ram Bahadur Paudel said that Ratna Mandir should be open to public as a museum at the earliest. But he cautioned that the museum should be built in a way that does not in any way take away from the natural beauty of Fewa Lake.
Nepal Trust has 89,026 square meters of land in Pokhara, which includes Ratna Mandir, Hima Griha, a football ground, and a piece of land at Ratna Chowk.
