KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has initiated a process to transform 75 houses of Jayabageshwari area to their original forms.

In the area under KMC-8, the contractor was selected through bidding, and a contract of Rs 90.49 million was made to advance the renovation works.

As part of the plan, the front part of the houses towards road on both sides of the 290-meter road from Jayabageshwari Temple to Seto Dhoka will be transformed in a way to reflect the Malla or Rana time architectural style, informed Ashaman Sangat, coordinator of KMC’s Heritage and Tourism Committee.

Regardless of ownership of any individual or institution, structures developed in the Kathmandu Valley during a specific point in time of history are considered traditional. This includes structures from the Malla period to the Rana period.

Sangat, who also serves as the KMC Ward 8 chair, said, “Elements such as the house panels, cornices, balustrades, window sills or eaves, and the historic roof will be retained in the Malla-era style”.

He further said, “The bricks used in the foundation of the house will be visible from outside. Traditional windows with carved frames will be installed in single-faced, three-faced, or five-faced designs”.

Around 250 houses in the area are connected to the road pavement. Sangat shared that among them, the appearance of the front parts of the houses visible from the road or open spaces is being changed.

These houses include structures of religious, cultural, and social importance within the same road section.