DoA restoring a 12th Century temple in Kakre Bihar, Surkhet

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A 12th century temple at Kakre Bihar is being restored by the Department of Archaeology (DoA) in Surkhet reports The Kathmandu Post.

It is believed that the temple was demolished by the followers of Shankaracharya in the 16th century to discourage the spread of Buddhism in the region.

DoA has led an excavation at the site for the past 18 years with Hindu and Buddhist statues and artefacts being recovered from the site. The task of restoring the temple to its original form has been assigned to eight artisans from Bhaktapur who will draw inspiration from the unearthed artefacts.

Chandra Ranjitkar, Head craftsman of the site, believes that the temple was originally built by Indian artists as the temple design is unlike the other temples built at the time by Nepali craftsmen.

DoA has earmarked Rs 81.8 million for the temple’s restoration and expects the project will be completed by 2017.