Ambassador Peter W. Bodde inaugurated the opening of a new gallery at Living Traditions Museum (LTM) in Changu Narayan today. The U.S. Embassy provided support through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) to enable the establishment of the gallery, which features a special exhibit titled Now and THEN since 463 AD.

Through the Ambassadors Fund in 2011, the Embassy provided $95,800 to host organization LTM to help restore parts of the sattals surrounding the Changu Narayan temple.  In 2013, the AFCP program again supported LTM through a grant totaling $25,706, which helped protect an important collection of ethnographic objects and establish the museum gallery.  LTM has an agreement with the Government of Nepal and owns approximately 400 objects, some of which are exhibited in the museum.

At a special inaugural ceremony at the Changu Narayan Temple complex on Thursday, Ambassador Bodde said, “The new Living Traditions gallery and the exhibit, Now and THEN since 463 AD, celebrate this community’s history by reflecting on mythology, art and heritage from past to present.”

 Changu Narayan is one of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley and is one of the most significant sites in the area, dating from before the 4th century.  For the occasion, about 100 community members and project supporters, LTM staff and board members, local temple priests, scholars, and artists gathered to open the gallery.

 According to a press release issued by Public Affairs Section, Embassy of The United States, established by U.S. Congress and administered by the Department of State, the AFCP has supported the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects and forms of traditional cultural expression since 2001.  These contributions represent a commitment of more than $46 million towards cultural heritage preservation needs around the globe, including 17 projects totaling $1,950,964 in Nepal.