Itum Monastery

Kathmandu, Nepal
Before 1241
This Buddhist monastic complex, one of the earliest structures of the Kathmandu Valley, has figured in Nepalese history since at least the thirteenth century. The principal quadrangle retains much of its original configuration, architectural detailing, and iconographic wood carvings. Of the 83 extant Buddhist monasteries in Nepal, Itum is one of the very few to survive intact. The future of this venerable structure is nevertheless precarious--a ruinous timber roof structure threatens collapse; there is no money for repairs, and no legal protection to prevent a new building from replacing it. The situation at Itum Monastery capsulizes key obstacles to the future of preservation in Nepal. First is the inability to identify, list, or protect historical structures outside the World Heritage Sites or under private ownership. Second is the inadequacy of a centralized trust for monument maintenance created when community trusts were nationalized in 1962. Outreach activities aim to compensate for a third problem, the disturbing lack of awareness of the ongoing losses of extraordinary historical buildings.