The Jestha Varna Mahavihar, a historic Buddhist monastery located in Lalitpur, Nepal (also known as Jyaba Bahi or Chakrabahil), has been conferred with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award 2025. The award recognises the outstanding conservation and restoration work undertaken following the damage caused by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
It is to be noted that the restoration project was supported by the Government of India (GoI) through its post-earthquake cultural heritage reconstruction grant, with financial assistance of NPR 13.78 crore.