Destruction of iconic temple in Nepal

06 May 2015 - 12:11 By Matthew Savides

Nepal Hundreds of police‚ military and ordinary Nepalis are literally getting their hands dirty to try salvage what little is left of the iconic Thapathali Durbar Square temple in the country's capital. The central dome-shaped building has been reduced to a massive pile of concrete and dust. Some of the ancient relics have already been recovered from the rubble‚ but a valuable bronze lion – one of four which stood proudly on the base of the dome – is still missing. It was also possible‚ people on the site yesterday said‚ that bodies could be trapped inside. However‚ this was unlikely. An army soldier said the priority at the moment was to recover the priceless artefacts. This is one of several prominent religious buildings that were destroyed by last weekend's powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Gunjan Karki‚ a 36-year-old Nepali volunteer‚ said that people had come out to help because of their religious devotion. “People believe in God. Despite what has happened‚ they still believe‚” he said. As he spoke‚ he tried to dust off his clothing. But it was a futile effort‚ as more dust flew into the air as people toiled in the 10m-high pile of rubble. Karki was helping because of his love for the popular shrine. “This is the most beautiful place in Nepal to me. When I was a kid I would walk past this big white moment and just stare at it. It isn't marble‚ but it would shine like it was‚” he said. Karki said he would remain at the site until all relics were recovered. It was his duty‚ he said‚ to help. “Being a Nepali‚ it is important to do what we can. We have to help each other and recover from this‚” he said...

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