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Historic Nepal temple collapses after fire, heavy rains
Kathmandu, Sept 25: Part of Nepal`s 17th century Pratappur temple, a Unesco world heritage site that was damaged by a fire in august, has collapsed after heavy rains, an official said.
Kathmandu, Sept 25: Part of Nepal's 17th century Pratappur temple, a Unesco world heritage site that was damaged by a fire in august, has collapsed after heavy rains, an official said.
No one was injured when the western part of the temple
at Swayambhu, on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu,
collapsed, area official Mahendra Ranta Budhacharya said
yesterday.
However debris was strewn over a large area and some statues were damaged.
Local residents said the remainder of the temple was looking precarious.
Budhacharya blamed the collapse on a huge fire on August 5 which damaged the building and on heavy rains in the past few days.
Repair work had already begun, he said.
The temple, in front of the Swayambhunath Buddhist shrine, is believed to have been built by Pratap Malla, the then ruler of Kathmandu city, in memory of his youngest wife Anantapriya.
Three locked doors inside the temple guard the main chamber where a massive idol of the 16th century Tantric deity Chakrashambhara is kept.
Chakrashambhara, considered one of the most important gods in Tantric Buddhism but out of bounds to most devotees, survived both the fire and the collapse, the official said.
Bureau Report
However debris was strewn over a large area and some statues were damaged.
Local residents said the remainder of the temple was looking precarious.
Budhacharya blamed the collapse on a huge fire on August 5 which damaged the building and on heavy rains in the past few days.
Repair work had already begun, he said.
The temple, in front of the Swayambhunath Buddhist shrine, is believed to have been built by Pratap Malla, the then ruler of Kathmandu city, in memory of his youngest wife Anantapriya.
Three locked doors inside the temple guard the main chamber where a massive idol of the 16th century Tantric deity Chakrashambhara is kept.
Chakrashambhara, considered one of the most important gods in Tantric Buddhism but out of bounds to most devotees, survived both the fire and the collapse, the official said.
Bureau Report