The Kathmandu Valley is scattered with medieval settlements.

These settlements
flourished from the overall wealth of the valley which developed particularly between
the 15th and 18th century due to the highly fertile land and lucrative regional trade.
These settlements that had distinctly defined physical and spiritual boundaries were
surrounded by an agricultural landscape, in many cases terraced paddy fields. Things
have changed and when you are cycling to- wards the southern part of the
Kathmandu Valley beyond the Ring Road, you encounter a landscape of suburban
chaos. Passing through Sunakhoti you come across a desolate scene of destruction.
A survey carried out by ICOMOS Nepal after the devastating Gorkha Earthquake of
2015 registered 53 historic settlements in and around the Kathmandu Valley. Many of
these settlements were affected by the earthquake but in most cases we see that it
is only an acceleration of an already established process of degeneration and
neglects. Particularly devastating has been development drives such as the widening
of roads that have been tearing apart the very heart of these settlements. In the blind
drive towards infrastructure development, unsustainable planning and inappropriate
buildings regulations the heritage of these historic settlements are totally neglected.
Sunakhoti is an ancient settlement on the road from Lalitpur to Tikabhairab. Licchavi
inscriptions from the 5th century found near the main temple of Bringareshwor
refer to a settlement named after the temple: Bhringar Grama. It is however said that
the proper settlement was founded by King Ratna Malla in the late 15th century with
the boundaries defined by marker stones. There are various myths relating to the
name Sunakothi. In many older documents and maps, even for example in the
Protective Inventory of 1975 and in Mary Slusser’s 1982 Nepal Mandala the name
Sunaguthi is used. It was in the 16th century that the Bhringeshwor Mahadev was
rebuilt in a traditional three tiered structure. This temple however collapsed during
the 1934 earthquake. The structure was rebuilt with a white plastered dome and
some remains of the original temple such as the wooden struts can be seen exhibited
around the temple complex.

The settlement with some ten thousand inhabitants is still a homogeneous

community of Newars. Regular celebrations are still carried out particularly those of
Yomari Purnima and Balkumari Jatra. In both these festivals gods are carried around
the town along specific routes and to specific locations in palanquins. The routes also
link to shrines and temples in the surrounding areas. The temple dedicated to mother
Balkumari is located in a forested area to the southeast of the town while the
daughter Balkumari resides within the town.
The settlement of Sunakoti consists of the main north south road that passing along
the western side of the settlement. The main road is aligned with rows of buildings
which look down a slope towards the fields to the west. To the east the main
settlement is defined by several parallel and perpendicular roads lined with rows of
traditional houses in burned or sundried bricks. The settlement is further defined by
various open spaces with ponds, patis, shrines and the more prominent temples of
Bringareshwor Mahadev and Balkumari. A water canal curves past the settlement to
the east.

The rather clearly defined extent of the compact traditional settlement has now been
diluted through scattered building in the surrounding fields. From within the
settlement the main road is being widened which has become disastrous for the
integrity of the settlements. The 1975 Protective Inventory proposes that the main
road be diverted to the east along the water canal to make sure that the settlement
is not effected by growing traffic.
The widening of the main road has begun to deface the streetscape. Traditional
buildings are being left to deteriorate while cement and glass structures are waiting to
emerge from behind. A section of such as row of traditional structures consigned to
destruction has been documented through photogrammetry and presented here (credit
to Ar. Anie Joshi). Once these buildings are removed an entire new set of buildings with
no traditional identity will emerge changing the character of the historic settlement.
Furthermore ancient shrines, chaityas and even an old well are condemned to be
destroyed or relocated. A woman pulling up water from the well exclaimed that the
road widening was going to destroy the well which is one of the few sources of
water. There are of course all kinds of promises made that with the new road other
services will follow. This is something the inhabitants seem to be very sceptical about.

There is always a traffic jam within the old settlements where the roads are still
narrow. Every driver will curse the constraint of the streets and complain about the
government not improving the roads. It is exactly such mentality that highlights the
total lack of any interest or understanding towards the heritage of ancient
settlements. The road widening drive carried out by the government is a priority
project for the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA). There have been
protests from various community groups against such drastic measures. The response has
however been very heavy-handed with the Chief of KVDA stating that he has always
supported development and that they are trying to modernise the towns. In respect to
the protest against the destruction of the ancient towns through road widening he stated
that the government always wins despite local opposition, although there could be delays
due of lawsuits.

This short-sighted and authoritarian approach is the main threat to the historic
settlements. There doesn't seem to be any interest to look for more appropriate solutions
that prioritizes the safeguarding of cultural heritage. It is said that "growth for growth's
sake is the philosophy of the cancer cell". Clearly the type of growth that does not
consider the long-term is cancerous growth.

The earthquake affected most of the historic settlements within the Kathmandu
Valley. The focus on response and rehabilitation was however mainly on the twin
settlements of Bungamati and Kokhana. This is where a lot of international involvement
has taken place for example by the UN agencies such as UN Habitat and UNESCO along
with various Japanese research organizations. This could be because there was great
news coverage on the Rato Macchendranath chariot festival that was to start in
Bungamati, something that only happens every 12 years. The earthquake however
disrupted this procession and it took many months for the chariot to reach its destination
in Patan. The Sri Lankan government funded the reconstruction of the Macchendranath
Temple. Certain interest could also be noted for the nearby medieval town of Kokhana,
known for its production of mustard seed oil, because it is on the tentative list for World
Heritage.

Many of the less highlighted settlements such as Sunakothi are waiting for their faith
to be decided. There were efforts made to establish procedures for the appropriate
rehabilitation of historic settlements. UN Habitat took a lead role in discussing this issue
particularly together with the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and the
Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC). It even led to
draft bylaws being prepared. Further such exercises were carried out by other
organizations; however there doesn't seem to be any procedures nor legislation put in
place to ensure the historic settlements are safeguarded.