Survey Report of Pukhusi Paramaana Chhen in Old Kirtipur

Properties(TOBUNKEN) has a history of nearly ten years beginning after the Gorkha earthquake in 2015.This cooperation began with a conference in November 2016 on the Preservation of historic settlements in the Kathmandu Valley, which TOBUNKEN organised in collaboration with four municipalities, including Kirtipur, as well as other Nepalese stakeholders.The participants agreed on the need for collaboration to identify appropriate approaches to preserving, rehabilitating and reconstructing the disaster-affected historic settlements.In the following year, this led to the establishment of a network for the conservation of historic settlements in the Kathmandu and Kavre valleys, involving both mayors and the engineering staff from relevant local government bodies.The overall objective of this network was to develop a common understanding regarding the conservation of tangible and intangible heritage and strengthen mutual collaboration.Kirtipur hosted the third mayors' forum in 2020.Engineers' workshops were held six times from 2017 to 2020 to discuss practical issues related to historic settlement conservation.Kirtipur Municipality has always played an active role in these dialogues, whereas TOBUNKEN has supported them by sharing Japan's experiences in the conservation of its historic settlements.Building on the trusting relationship established through these activities, a new cooperative project between Kirtipur Municipality and TOBUNKEN for the conservation of historic houses in Kirtipur was launched in October 2023.As a pilot case study within this project, a joint survey on the preservation of a historic house located in front of De Pukhu was conducted that focused on evaluating the heritage value of the house from various perspectives.This report includes the outcomes of a survey covering the urban context of the house, the historical background and family history of the residents, and the historical transition of the building.It also contains the results from a workshop held to clarify and deepen the perception of different stakeholders, including the house owners, regarding the preservation of that building.Last but not the least, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the experts, mayors, deputy mayors, chair of Ward No.1, and all other relevant staff of Kirtipur Municipality for their sincere commitment to the safeguarding and succession of cultural heritage, as well as the house owners for their kind cooperation in this survey.I strongly believe that long-standing cooperation will have a positive impact on the conservation and preservation of the historic settlements in Kirtipur.