A Nepali architect who took personal initiative and invested his own money to renovate a traditional Newari house in Bhaktapur is one of those getting an 'Honourable Mention' in this year's 2004 UNESCO Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.

The Award for Excellence went to Baltit Fort in Pakistan's Hunza Valley, while Awards for Distinction went to heritage preservation efforts in Gujarat, Australia and Kazakhstan. Rajendra Puri from Nepal is cited for for his Namuna Ghar in Bhaktapur, along with other candidates from India, Australia, China and India. "Today I am really proud that my small effort was recognised," Puri told us. "It wouldn't have been possible without the recognition I got from conservationists in Nepal." Namuna Ghar was featured in Nepali Times (#126) and UNESCO says in its citation: 'The restoration and revitalisation of this archetypal Newari village farmhouse has successfully preserved a fundamental building type central to the traditional architectural vocabulary of the Kathmandu Valley.' UNESCO commended Puri for helping raise public awareness with his 'traditional vernacular structures within a contemporary setting' with modest, low-cost changes and the sensitive introduction of contemporary facilities.