Thailand plans to help restore at least six of the hundreds of cultural sites in Nepal that have been damaged in the 2015 earthquake.

“The restoration budget will likely be around 60 million baht (US$1.72 million),” Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat said yesterday.

According to him, experts from Thailand’s Fine Arts Department have already surveyed four cities in Nepal and believe that it is feasible to restore six sites in the earthquake-ravaged zones. These six sites include the Mahabouddha Temple and the Golden Temple in Patan, and the Chilancho Stupa in Kirtipur.

“Nepal is the birthplace of Buddhism and all these sites are related to the religion,” Veera said.

With most Thais being practising Buddhists, Thailand can be considered the world’s largest Buddhist country.

Veera said the restoration operation would also help boost the experience of Thai craftsmen and experts.

“It is going to pave the way for Thailand to become a knowledge hub when it comes to restoring historical sites, particularly religious ones,” he said, adding that this operation would also help boost Thailand’s image.

Veera revealed that the Fine Arts Department had been instructed to come up with a restoration plan, adding that the restoration of more sites would be considered, given that the earthquake had caused massive damages.

According to estimates, the quake damaged 745 historical sites, 133 of which have been completely destroyed and about 97 others have partially collapsed. The rest have sustained some damage.