Photobooks are a delight. You can get lost in their pages for hours, forgetting all the mundanities of life. But rarely will you come across a photobook that not only feels like a visual treat but is also a vital documentation of our history and culture. ‘Panauti: Past – Present (1976-2020)’ by Gérard Toffin and Prasant Shrestha is one of those important works of creative genius. The book, with its many then and now photos of Panauti—a municipality in the Kavrepalanchok District in Bagmati Province, 32 kilometers southeast of Kathmandu—documents the changes in the city’s architectural landscape.
Toffin, emeritus director of research CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), had carried out several in-depth studies in Panauti in the 1970s, surveying the local population, its traditions, and social and religious organizations. In 2010, Toffin met Shrestha, a native of Panauti, while attending the Makar Mela, a month-long festival organized every 12 years at the confluence of Punyamati and Roshi rivers. Both of them felt the need to highlight the local cultural heritage and make people aware of the threats of rampant urbanization. Thus, the idea of the book was born.
The French Embassy in Nepal and the Alliance Française in Kathmandu collaborated to bring out the book because of France’s special relationship with Panauti. Over the years, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various French agencies have been involved in an ambitious renovation project aimed at preserving Panauti’s architectural heritage.
Toffin says one of the most challenging aspects of the project was to portray an old Nepali city through images and not just words. “This kind of attempt has rarely been made in the field of social anthropology, especially when you have to document changes,” says Toffin. Working with a local meant Toffin had an insider view and the book benefits from that perspective. The result is an informative and insightful account of Panauti and its rich heritage.
Panauti: Past – Present (1976-2020)
Photobook
Text: Gérard Toffin
Photos: Gérard Toffin and Prasant Shrestha
Published: April 2021
Pages: 114, Hardcover
Then
Now
A general view of the Tribeni confluence religious precinct . On the right, Krishna temple with its three stacked roofs. The dead from surrounding villages cremated there on the ghats. Newar inhabitants of Panauti are cremated at the opposite riverbank in 1977 (then) and 2020 (now).
Then
Now
South-west entrance to the city, on the Roshi Khola River in 1976 (then) and 2020 (now).
Then
Now
Indreshvar Mahadev temple in its square-shaped compound theoretically closed by four gates in all its four cardinal points in then (1977) and now (202).
Then
Now
Entrance to the city, bus station in 1976 (then) and 2020 (now).
Then
Now
Agha Tol neighborhood, crossing of trade routes, near the alleged site of the ancient Royal Palace in 1976 (then) and 2020 (now).
