Alko Hiti

Thanks to the active involvement of the people who rely on this dhunge dhara for their drinking water, Alko Hiti has remained operational from the time it was built to the present day.

[1] Alko Hiti was built in 1415 AD by Tumha Dev Bajracharya, a famous Tantric Buddhist and healer, next to the north-western gate of the old city of Patan.

[1] Furthermore, menstruating women and people from low castes were not allowed entry and it was forbidden to wear leather shoes.

[2] Maintenance was in the hands of a guthi and the yield from a stretch of land, reserved especially for the purpose, provided the funds.

[1] The 1963 renovation of Alko Hiti was led by the Baidya family, who claim to be descendants of one of the original donors.

[1] According to local residents, maintenance of the drains used to be left to fish, toads and snakes living in the drainage pit.

[4] Alko Hiti can be found in a rectangular courtyard, a few steps down from street level,[5] where three sides are bounded by brick walls and the fourth, north-western side by a shelter, which is part pati (left, with one floor) and part sattal (right, with two floors), and the entrance to the courtyard.

On the fourth side, there is a row of five chaityas between two short stretches of railing and a smaller staircase, flanked by a shrine.

This combination Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, for instance a chaitya next to a lingam, can be found in many dhunge dharas of Nepal.

The north-western wall of the hiti basin is dominated by a lifesize statue of a seated Buddha in Bhumisparsa Mudra.

[8] Since the beginning of the 21st century several elements have been added to Alko Hiti, like a water tower, underground pipes, rainwater recharge pits and ponds.

[13] Since 2004, a distribution system has been put in place by the Aalok Hiti Conservation and Water Supply Users’ Committee (AHCWSUC).

Only after media attention and prolonged action (like complaining to the municipality, demonstrations and picketing), were the industrial activities at the mill discontinued.

[1] Agricultural activities have to be monitored, because any deep rooting vegetation, irrigation or fertilization directly affects the aquifers.