VISIT NEPAL'S FIRST AND ONLY SCULPTURE GARDEN

In suburban Kathmandu, only 20 minutes from the capital, is Nepal's first sculpture garden. The location is Chobhar, 20 minutes away, an ancient hill village (ALT 1420 metres) whose origins date back to the 12th century. In a panoramic setting surrounded by the snow-capped Himalayan mountain range, discover an impressive and ever increasing collection of permanently-sited works in durable materials, in landscaped surroundings which make up this unique outdoor Sculpture Garden. The works are by Nepal's leading contemporary sculptor-artists. All are modern and futuristic. The basic theme and creator's vision in assembling this "new-for-Nepal" collection is that the "PAST IS OVER" The collection therefore seeks to open up new horizons, to give a new sense of orientation to nepali art and to invite the public to share in this new vision by extremely gifted young talent nepali artists, emerging artists as well as established ones. Of the Nepali artists and craftsmen, it is often said that "they have gold in their hands and finger tips"

Seven steps to heaven, sculpture in chobhar garden

The sculpture garden, which is located on the grounds of the Chobhar Village Resort Hotel complex, consists of sculptures made of durable materials including marble, iron, steel, stone, aluminium, alloys, bronze, copper and even cement.

The garden is an ensemble of free-standing sculptures and large installations, some of them several meters high. The Curator of the Sculpture Garden is Puran Khadka, Nepal's leading abstract artist, an active contributor to the Garden with some ten works which he has donated to our Collection. The Chobhar Sculpture Garden is open to the public, free of charge. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Because entrance is FREE, and the organisers do not receive local, municipal or government support, it welcomes donations from private parties and/or international organizations who wish to contribute. Donations may be made through HKFT, an established non profit organisation HKFT stands for The Himalayan Kingdom Foundation Trust, whose founder and Head Trustee is Theo Steinert, a retired French-American living in Nepal since 1998. The full amount of donations (with no deductions) will go to acquire other modern and contemporary works, to support our wonderful and deserving nepali sculptors. For more information, visit:

www.nepalvillageresort.com Visitors to the Sculpture Garden can also spend the night at Chobhar Resort Hotel where there is a café-restaurant and fully renovated rooms all beautifully interior designed in traditional stonebuildings (200 years old) The hotel is listed in Lonely Planet Using its premises, the Resort Hotel can also organize and host international art workshops and accommodate, with room, food and lodging, groups of artists not exceeding 25.

Because Chobhar is a haven of peace and quiet, this Hidden Paradise is a perfect place to hold art events and in whidch to promote art in general. The creation of a small indoor art gallery on our premises is also planned for the autumn of 2007 It will feature the works of Puran Khadka, Manish Lal Shrestha, Shobha Wagley Adhikari and many other leading modern and contemporary artists.

and www.hkft.org Created in the year 2000, This non profit Foundation has for policy to "help the nepali people to help themselves" Apart from promoting the arts and crafts, HKFT aims to reduce poverty in Nepal. Its Founder and Trustee is actively working with womens' groups in particular, in the Chobhar Kirtipur area, in an effort to achieve those goals.