The Struggle Over Ancient Shiva Temple

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Row over temple's earnings

Keshav Pradhan

(Kathmandu, September 23)

 

FOR SOME years, the sharing of the earnings of the Pashupatinath

temple, one of the biggest Hindu shrines in the world, has become a

subject of dispute between its Indian priests and Nepalese

administrators.

 

According to tradition, only South Indian Brahmins are appointed

bhatts (priests) of the temple that draws tens of thousands of

devotees, mostly from India, every year.

 

The Nepalese regard the Pashupatinath as their guardian deity.

 

The bhatts and their Nepalese assistants, who are called rajbhandaris

(storekeepers), had moved court about two years ago against the

government-appointed Pashupati Area Development Trust's demand for 25

per cent of the revenue for the upkeep of the shrine and other

religious projects.

 

They argued that auditing of the temple's earnings go against the

tradition of the shrine.

 

The Association of Rajbhandaris has recently sent a letter to the

trust expressing its willingness to sit for talks on financial

matters. Disclosing this on Tuesday, the trust described the

rajbhandaris' move as a "positive step."

 

Significantly, the letter comes in the wake of mounting pressure from

various quarters, including the media, for immediate auditing of the

temple's revenue by a government agency.

 

Besides, a section of the Nepalese has even sought appointment of

Nepalese Brahmins as bhatts.

 

Loknath Upadhdhya, a Nepalese Brahmin who earlier staged a hunger

strike seeking appointment of local bhatts, claims that the practice

of having South Indians as priests began only in 1713.

 

The demand has sharply divided the Nepalese society. Strongly

opposing it, Swami Prapannacharya, member of the Royal Standing

Committee, fears that appointment of Nepalese as bhatts will

encourage political interference in the temple's affairs.

 

A municipal councillor associated with the temple claims that the

number of visitors has gone up in recent years either because of

improvement in the transport system or because of a religious

resurgence especially in neighbouring India.

 

The offerings in the temple include cash, gold, and silver.

 

Keeping in view the sensitive nature of the issue, political parties

have so far remained silent on it.

 

A ruling Nepali Congress parliamentarian commented about the

controversy, "The important question before us is how to upkeep the

temple and make it visit worthy and not how much the bhatts are

earning."

 

Since early this week, the trust has banned the sale of meat and

alcohol in and around the temple complex covering hundreds of acres.

 

Besides, it will soon launch a drive to remove encroachments from

temple land.