Ratna Mandir, King Mahendra’s palace by the Fewa Lake
King Mahendra constructed Ratna Mandir Palace with the purpose to relax in the beauty of Fewa Lake while visiting Pokhara. It used to be a palace of the royal family of Nepal until 2008. The temple covers a total area of 56,468 sq. meters.
History Of Ratna Mandir
Ratna Mandir was built by King Mahendra after his second wife Ratna Rajya Lakshmi Devi in 1956 A.D or 2013 BS. It is situated in Gauri Ghat, Lakeside, Pokhara.
After his demise on 31 January 1972, the palace belonged to his eldest son (King) Birenda Bir Bikram Shah. Following the establishment of the Republic, the ownership of the palace is under the Nepal Trust.
For many years, stakeholders have been requesting that the palace should be converted into a public museum, just like the former Narayanhiti Palace, located in Kathmandu.
Ratna Mandir is now open to public
From 29 May 2023, Ratna Mandir, a former palace owned by the Nepalese royal family, was opened to the public. Now, everyone has access to visit this ancient property.
Celebrating the 15th Republic Day, the inauguration of the temple was done by Dhan Raj Acharya (Major of Pokhara), and Sudan Kirati (Minister for Culture).
The government has set a ticket system for the entrance to visit the temple, as per Yongjom Sherpa, who is a member of the Nepal Trust. The ticket price for Nepalese is NRP 100, while it costs NRP 1,000 for foreigners; however, students and senior citizens charge only NRP 50.
Still, no permission has been granted to enter the main building. According to the employee of the palace, there is a plan on-going for the opening of the main building to the public.
