Nepal is famous for its unique and ancient heritage sites, especially in the major metropolis of Kathmandu . After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which shook the region on April 25th, not only are thousands dead, but many of these famous and precious heritage sites have sustained extensive damage. As much of Kathmandu's economy relies on tourism and religious pilgrimages, the damage is catastrophic beyond just architectural loss.
Thomas Schrom, Executive Director of Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust and Himalayan Consensus Advisory Board member spent over a decade restoring heritage temples and palaces in Patan. Following the earthquake he has been calculating the damages and costs of reconstruction. Himalayan Consensus is launching a fund raising drive "Adopt at Temple" for the restoration of the work that has been lost.
Schrom blogged, "just got back from Kabre (East of the Valley) - what a disaster.. almost all the old stone houses gone. I'm helping (and fundraising for) four of our staff who lost their homes there. Now we just had another good shake 7.4 North-east of KTM. I'm a bit rattled…"