SATV 21 July, Kathmandu: The number of people visiting Dharahara has doubled after it started opening for 12 hours daily. Since July 17, Dharahara has remained open from 8 am to 8 pm. Mahesh Rai, head of the Dharahara Operations and Management Unit, Sundhara, said the extended hours led to a more than twofold increase in visitors.

“Tickets are available from 8 am to 7 pm. People are permitted to climb Dharahara from 8:30 am to 8 pm,” Rai said. “Extending the hours has made a big difference. The number of visitors has increased more than double compared to before.”

Previously, Dharahara was open from 10 am to 4 pm daily. Earlier, around 1,200 people visited daily, but in the last three days, 8,638 people have climbed Dharahara. According to Rai, 2,500 people visited on July 17, 2,631 on July 18, and 3,507 on July 19. A total of Rs 1,556,650 was collected from July 17 to 19.

Kalpana Tamang from Dhading, who was climbing Dharahara during the visit, said she enjoyed the evening view more than during the day. “The sparkling view of Kathmandu from Dharahara at night is absolutely mesmerizing,” she said. “I liked the evening view more than the morning or afternoon.”

From mid-November 2024 to mid-July 2025, Dharahara collected Rs 51.26 million from ticket sales.