Pokhara—Ratna Mandir which is known as the winter palace of Nepal’s former royal family has been opened for the general public on Monday on the occasion of Republic Day.
People have been demanding to open the palace that is situated on the shores of the famous Phewa Lake in the touristy town of Pokhara. The palace was established some 65 years ago by late king Mahendra in the name of his second wife Ratna and it was still closed even after the ending of the 240-year-old royal dynasty in Nepal. The palace belongs to Nepal Trust now.
Due to internal management difficulties and preservation challenges of historic materials, the palace is only opened partially. The three-storey palace building has 11 rooms including bedrooms, guestrooms, a cafeteria, a kitchen, an ADC room, a meeting room, a sports room, a prayer room, a balcony, and a rest room. It has also old furniture, gifts, awards, ornaments, pictures, paintings, handicrafts, TV, Radio, Telephone sets, etc. The building and its surroundings cover 1.07 hector of area. Tourism minister Sudan Kirati formally opened the palace to the public amid a formal ceremony attended by Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya and Pokhara Tourism Council Chairman Pom Narayan Shrestha.
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