PM prays at temple on Nepal earthquake anniversary

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli takes part in a ceremony to lay a foundation stone to rebuild a temple damaged in last year’s earthquake at Swyambhunath stupa in Kathmandu on Monday. Some 9,000 people were killed in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck April 25, 2015 . — AFP

Nepal’s Prime Minister joined Buddhist monks at a prayer ceremony Monday to mark the start of rebuilding at five ancient monuments destroyed in an earthquake that killed thousands and devastated the country’s rich cultural heritage.

The ceremony at the seventh-century Swayambhunath Temple complex came exactly a year after the quake struck, although the main commemorations for the dead were held Sunday, the anniversary by the Nepali calendar.

One of the Buddhist temples at the spectacular hilltop complex, a Unesco World Heritage site, was completely destroyed by the 7.8-magnitude quake.

Rebuilding work began Monday on that and four other monuments, including a temple in the historic town of Bhaktapur and two wooden pavilions once used for royal ceremonies that crumbled in the quake.

“They are treasures given to us by our ancestors... It is our responsibility to hand them down to the next generation,” said Bhesh Narayan Dahal, director general of the government’s Department of Archaeology. “We will begin reconstruction of other monuments as well, work has been slow but now it will pick up pace,” Dahal said. About 700 monuments require rebuilding or repair. Many are major tourist draws, including Swayambhunath, known as the “Monkey Temple” because of the animals occupying the steps leading to it.

While restoration work has begun on a handful of temples, including the fifth-century Changu Narayan complex, officials say it will be years before Nepal’s rich architectural heritage can be fully restored.