New Delhi, Feb. 26 -- The restoration and retrofitting of Jestha Varna Mahavihara, Lalitpur, Nepal -- a Government of India-funded project supported through the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Kathmandu -- has been conferred the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2025. The award was officially announced on 20 February 2026.

As per a statement by the Ministry of Culture, the project was undertaken as part of the post-earthquake reconstruction, retrofitting initiatives in Nepal with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage) as design and project management consultant. INTACH is a premiere Indian Non-Government Organisation working in the field of Heritage Conservation since 1984. INTACH adopted a h...