Maoist government gains control of iconic Pashupatinath Hindu temple
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - The
management of the Pashupatinath temple has passed to civil authority, after
almost 1000 years. As
of April 8 priests (bhattas) and shopkeepers (bhandaris) are employees of the
Ministry of Culture. The
salary for the highest office is about 3 thousand Euros per month. The
government must also collect the million dollar of offerings left by pilgrims. The
measure aims to prevent corruption among the staff and any waste of the believers'
donations.
Narottam
Baidhaya, treasurer of the Pashupatinath
Area Development Trust (PADT), says that the temple collects an average of
45 thousand Euros per month in contributions to which are added vessels of gold
and silver. In
addition each believer is charged a puja, or special fee for services, and upkeep
of the sacred place. The
expenditure for salaries and maintenance of the premises amounts to about 25
thousand Euros per month. The
official points out that the revenue triples during major Hindu festivals:
Teej, Balachaturdashi and Mahashivaratri.
Since
its founding in the eleventh century, the temple has been self-managed and has
always refused the interference of civil authority. To
date, Pashupatinath was administered by five bhattas, including the Mul Bhatta
(high priest) and 101 bhandaris. According
to tradition, they have full authority over the collection of offerings. However,
the temple authorities have never stated the exact amount of donations.
In
recent months, the Supreme Court urged the government to regulate the receipts
and expenditures of the temple, following a number of allegations of corruption
against bhattas and bhandaris. On
21 March the Maoist government announced the transfer of the economic
management of the Unesco site to a the civil authority.
The
government decision sparked protests from the PADT and Hindu activists, who
consider the act as a misappropriation by the executive led by secular Maoists.
Already
in 2008, the then Maoist Prime Minister Prachanda, had attempted to interfere
with the activities of the temple by prohibiting the appointment of Indian
priests under the new pro-Chinese policy in the country. To
test the sincerity of the religious PADT allowed a television crew to film the
process of collection and submission of bids.
Gopal
Kirati, Minister of Culture emphasizes that the PADT has grown disproportionately
and become difficult to control. He
explains that in this moment of crisis, "there is need for transparency.
Every Hindu should be proud of this decision."
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