Historic Rana-era administrative building in Kailali reduced to ashes during protest

Dhangadhi: The oldest administrative building in Kailali, which once housed the District Administration Office, has been completely destroyed in an arson attack during the Genji protests on Bhadra 24.

The Rana-era building, long regarded as a local heritage site, was engulfed in flames and collapsed to ashes, leaving behind only ruins within the District Administration Office premises. While the new office building had taken over most administrative functions, the old structure continued to serve as the center for issuing national identity cards.

Locals expressed grief over the loss, calling it a destruction of history. “This house was a heritage, now it has been reduced to ashes,” lamented local resident Prabhakar Bhandari. Many have criticized the protesters for erasing an irreplaceable part of Kailali’s past.

Historical accounts note that during the Rana regime, the Goswara (administrative center) of Kailali and Kanchanpur was originally located in Belauri, Kanchanpur. In 1997 BS, the Goswara was shifted to Dhangadhi. At that time, only five major offices existed in concrete buildings: the Goswara, the Zonal Officer’s Office, the Jail, the Forest Department, and the Goods Warehouse, according to the late Shivdatta Joshi in his article Old Dhangadhi. The Goswara was later converted into the District Administration Office, making the building a central pillar of the region’s governance.

District Administration Office Information Officer Shivraj Joshi said the exact year of the building’s construction cannot be verified due to lack of records. “We are searching for its records,” he said, adding that no directives have yet been received regarding reconstruction or further plans for the destroyed site.