Ambica Shrestha, 92

Heritage champion, exponent of women’s empowerment, philanthropist and founder of Dwarika’s Hotel, Ambica Shrestha, passed away in hospital on Thursday after a brief illness. She was 92. 

Of her many accomplishments, the Dwarika’s Hotel which was named after her late husband Dwarika Das Shrestha stood as a monument to cultural and architectural preservation. 

The unique multiple award-winning hotel in Kathmandu used carved wooden windows, columns, eaves and other priceless objects rescued from ancient buildings that were being torn down over the past decades to make way for modern structures. Many of the carved wooden architectural elements in Dwarika's Hotel are therefore museum pieces.

The hotel served as a living memorial to Kathmandu Valley civilisation, and underlined the importance of heritage conservation among Nepalis. The construction of the hotel also revived Nepal’s ancient wood carving and construction techniques in building and maintaining the property.

Besides the hotel, Ambica Shrestha was the founder of Nepal Heritage Society, a strong proponent of gender empowerment and women in business, and led the Federation of Business and Professional Women of Nepal (BPWN).

She was the Honorary Consul General of Spain in Nepal, and was conferred the The Order of Isabella medal by the Spanish government in February this year. She also served as Chair since its inception in 1998 of Himalmedia, the company that publishes Nepali Times.

She and her husband founded Kathmandu Travels and Tours, and entered the tourism business in the 1970s during the coronation of King Birendra, and built Dwarika’s Hotel, expanding it in installments over the years. Today, the company also runs a resort in Dhulikhel.

Ambica Shrestha’s family was from Sikkim and she moved to Kathmandu after getting married to Dwarika Das Shrestha in 1955, and had three children. She is survived by two daughters, grand- and great-grandchildren.

Ambica Shrestha used to say: “There is no shortcut to success, it is a long struggle to preserve our past for the future. And it helps if you ensure that no one in society is left behind.”

Read also: Brick by brick by brick, Aarti Basnyat

Farewell and tributes from 8-11AM Saturday 20 July at Dwarika's Hotel.