New Dharahara open to public for free starting tomorrow

KATHMANDU, Sept 18: Starting Thursday (September 19), the newly built Dharahara in Sundhara, Kathmandu, will be open to the public. The Council of Ministers on August 23 approved the temporary opening of the monument for Constitution Day. 

The Ministry of Urban Development instructed the Central Project Implementation Unit (Building and Housing) to organize visitor access to the tower. Initially, about 500 visitors per day will be allowed to climb the tower. According to Kosh Nath Adhikari, the head of the project, tickets will be available on a designated website, with the option to book for 100 people every half hour starting from 11 AM. If the website is not ready by tomorrow, physical tickets will be available on-site.

Entry and parking will be free for now. Visitors can use two electric elevators and spend around 10 minutes in the observation area. Photography and video recording are permitted.

Dharahara, now with 22 floors, preserves the ruins of the old tower. It also features a three-storey underground parking area, an administrative building, a museum, and a garden. Although construction is 95 percent complete, the tower has already been inaugurated by PM KP Oli during his previous term in office.