A copper coin dating to over 1000 years, has been discovered from the ruins of a historical Gadhi fort of the pre-medieval era situated beyond the river bank in Musikot, the district headquarters of the remote mountainous district Rukum, in western Nepal. The obverse side of this coin contains two circular objects in the middle with script on the outer part, near the edge. The reverse side of the coin holds the inscribed words deciphered as the Kutila script, which reads, "Gandeb", according to archaeologist Uddhab Acharya.

"Since Kutila script was in vogue during the initial period of the medieval era, the coin discovered must date back to 1000 years," contends Acharya. It is learnt that a responsible government officer who had been posted to Musikot 10 years ago had recovered this coin from the ruins of a fort during one of his visits to the site.

The discoverer of the artefact, who does not want his name to be published, has through his retired friend of Chandragadhi-5, Lekhnath Niraula, shown the coin to The Kathmandu Post, and provided a photocopy of it. According to the discoverer of the coin, the locals of Gadhi region who had found these coins had been moulding them into utensils rather than saving them as an invaluable asset.

OTHER NEWS

• Recognise tour operators: Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO), submitting a memorandum to the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Survendranath Sukla, has asked the government to separate tour operators from travel agents. Such a separation has been sought to develop professionalism in the tourism industry, which has been affecting development of the country as a quality tourism destination, states a press release..
  
  
• Downtrodden women export handicraft: First they were restaurant workers - looked down upon by many- now after undergoing tailoring, a batch of girls are hitting the international market with their handiwork. The products, including patchwork and woolen garments, and produced by women trained at Mit Nepal are currently exported to a number of countries in Eastern Europe. The response has been overwhelming and there are demands even from the United States of America, say officials at Mit Nepal.
  
  
• PIA resumes flight: A long wait for the resumption of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)'s Karachi-Kathmandu flight ended here after its PK268 Boeing 737 landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with 27 passengers on board at 1100 hrs. The PIA recently took the decision to operate two flights per week - on Sunday and Wednesday - in this sector.
  
  
• Stress on package programmes for tourism promotion: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani , who is also looking after the portfolio of the Prime Minister, has said that tourism entrepreneurs should work to face the challenges of the tourism sector despite the decrease of tourists in the recent years. The tourists can be attracted if package programmes are launched effectively, Dr Lohani said while inaugurating the two day first convention of the Eastern Hotel Entrepreneurs Association here recently.
  
  
• NATA flays bid on separate tour operators' group: Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA) today opposed the request of Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) to raise bank guarantee for tour operator to Rs 2.5 million and separate tour operators from travel agents. "Both of the requests are unjustifiable," said Rabi Poudel, the President of NATA during a press conference organised here. All travel agencies are the tour operators; and therefore, there is no need of a separate category, he added.
  
  
• Mixed reactions over declaring Thamel 'Vehicle Regulated Zone': Thamel Tourism Committee (TTC) has been lobbying to declare Thamel 'Vehicle Regulated Zone'. While the committee members think that the move would boost tourist inflow in the area, Thamel residents have expressed mixed reactions on the issue. Ganesh Bahadur Dhungana, CEO of TTC, said, "The problems created by limited space and narrow roads could be managed smoothly if the movement of vehicles is regulated. It will also provide tourist, the much needed space and reduce disturbance from vehicles."
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu