Ghanta Ghar, situated in the middle of Birgunj, has turned into a structure that identifies the city. The tower was established four decades ago with the help of Japanese school kids from Yogano, Japan, who raised money for the construction and sent a Japanese branded Seiko clock-face for the tower.
Ghanta Home Productions: A meme machine
The Ghanta Ghar was built in 1976 with an active participation from the then zonal commissioner Lakshya Bahadur Gurung and the locals. It was the time of the Panchayat System and the Nagar Panchayat, where board members of the Nagar Panchayat made a decision to give the space, where Ghantaghar currently situated, to a businessman for the development of a petrol pump. Few of the board members of the Nagar Panchayat and the then deputy mayor Gopal Prasad Adhikari were against the decision. They put up a fence around the free space at night and placed a plank denoting it as ‘Mahendra Park’. “Since the space had been dubbed with the name of the King’s father, the businessman did not have the courage to use the land,” the then Deputy Mayor’s, 70-year-old wife Anima Adhikari recalled,” Ghantaghar was established three years after this.”
Birgunj Jaycees collaborated with Japan Jaycees for the establishment Ghanta Ghar in Birgunj. “We wanted to establish a monument that could identify Birgunj and we succeeded in our mission. I feel proud to see Ghanta Ghar in the middle of the town,” First President of Birgunj Jaycees, Pashupati Birkram Shah said, “Maintenance of the watch is not carried out and I feel sad about the carelessness.” Since July 11, 2013 Birgunj Sub-metropolitan and Nepal Telecom have startedmaintaining the clock tower.
