After the 25 April earthquake, Nepalis were shocked to hear that the iconic Dharara tower in Kathmandu came down, killing at least 70 people. It gave the first indication of just how serious the quake was, and also took away an important landmark that many had an emotional attachment to. Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa built two towers in the 19th century both of which went down in the 1833 quake. Only one was rebuilt, and it was destroyed again in 1934 and rebuilt once more. Now, some are saying that since it had gone down twice previously, maybe Dharara should not be rebuilt, but the ruins kept as a memorial to the 2015 earthquake. Rohit Ranjitkar of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust thinks rebuilding Dharara shouldn’t be a priority. “We can leave it as a memorial of the 25 April earthquake,” he said. “It will also remind us of the risk of building high and unsafe constructions.” Artist Bhishan Rajbhandari, who advocates for the reconstruction of all monuments of Kathmandu, doesn’t agree. He says the Moghul-style tower was part of Kathmandu’s identity. “It symbolised our acceptance of other cultures,” he said. “We must rebuild it by making sure it is earthquake resistant.”