New gallery opens at Hindu temple in Nepal

A new gallery depicting Nepal's ancient cultural history has been opened to public at a museum in one of the oldest Hindu temples in the country dating back to 5th century AD.
The gallery at the Living Traditions Museum (LTM), situated in the premises of Changu Narayan Temple, was opened by US Ambassador to Nepal Peter W Bodde yesterday at Changu, 15 kilometres east of Kathmandu.
Addressing the inauguration, Bodde said the gallery, funded by US Embassy's Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), celebrates community history by reflecting mythology, art and heritage.
"Visiting this museum can give a better impression of Nepali life," he said.

In 2011, the embassy had provided USD 95,800 to the LTM to help restore the Sattals or the visitors' shelter surrounding at the temple.
In 2013, the AFCP programme again supported LTM through a grant of USD 25,706, which helped protect an important collection of ethnographic objects and established the museum gallery, according to a statement by the US embassy.

Around 400 collections of ancient, historical, artistic, religious, archaeological and cultural objects are on display at the museum.
The museum reflects the real lifestyle of ancient Nepal, representing the mountains, hills, plain and ethnographic lifestyle of the Valley.
"This has created a new avenue for tourism development in the area," said Changu Narayan Village Development Committee chairman Mohan Bir Shrestha.