Bunga Mahotsav

Bunga Festival celebrates Bungamati, a Newari urban town with its own unique history, festivals, culture, rituals, art and crafts. In the 2015 earthquake, Bungamati’s core, the Machhendranath temple collapsed, along with several other monuments and old houses. With it, once a bustling heritage settlement's local economy was impacted. The pandemic brought in more setbacks. Visitors dwindled. Spirits dampened. Many craftsmen went out of business and opted for other professions. The town grew quieter and the locals feared that people had forgotten Bungamati, its beauty and its charm. UN-Habitat through EU-Switch Asia initiative worked together with the community to rebuild and revitalize Bungamati - to serve as an example for other heritage settlements in the Valley. Bunga Mahotsav aims to relaunch Bungamati as a destination for heritage tourism with offerings palatable to people from all walks of life.