Forgotten treasures

The remains of Kakrebihar await visitors

by DEWAN RAI

FROM ISSUE # 176 (August 2010) | IN THIS ISSUE
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'Surkhet Bulbul tal, maya maitalu hunale chhutyo maya jaal' (I am lovelorn since my love lives with her parents).

This folk song of the western Nepal, probably recorded in 80's, speaks volumes about the appeal of Bulbule taal of Surkhet. In the same vicinity, three kilometres away from the southern fringe of the city, lies an archaeological enigma, hardly spoken of or taken care of. May be today's generation should make a song about Kakrebihar, the medieval monastery hidden in these forests.

Carved stone slabs with divine motif, miniature temples and Buddha statues are scattered among the tress, some of which are covered by lichen under the bushes. A glance into these treasures is sufficient to gaze the archaeological importance of the place that has long been abandoned.

The ruins are an exhibition of superb art and architectural remains associated with Hinduism and Buddhism. "People believe this is where Pandavas lived when they went underground," says Sher Bahadur Karki, a local. "They say there was an underground pool right beneath the foundation of the temple."

Karki is an unpaid caretaker assigned by the village development committee. He has been looking after the place for a decade with his wife Nandakali Karki. They keep the earnings from the entrance fee set at Rs 5 per person. Even though the number of visitors has never crossed over a hundred per month the couple keep doing for self-fulfilment. "I believe this is an ornament of Surkhet but locals are not concerned about its protection," says Nandakali.

Archaeologists say Hindu and Buddhists constructed the temple jointly in the 13 century during Khasa Malla rule and believe it might have been pulled down in an attack by the Muslim emperor, Samasuddin, in 1406.

The Department of Archaeology excavated the site in 2000 and unearthed the debris of ruined structure of a stone-temple. It then identified 27,000 sculptures, some of which were then stacked in a shed while most of them lay untouched on the site. Only 25 pieces of artefacts are preserved in a regional museum.

Kakrebihar is facing a serious conservation problem. The scattered stone slabs need to be protected from weathering. Each artefact is valuable as they are part of a Shikar styled monastery.