Need To Save Pashupati Area From Encroachment
By KTM Metro Reporter
December 9, 2012: UNESCO: the watchdog of world heritage sites has warned the government of Nepal of keeping the Pashupatinath Temple: one of the World oldest Heritage Sites believed to be 2,5000 years old on its list of endangered sites if the state authorities fail to shut down the road that passes through the heritage site area, reports ‘HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE’ today.
“Despite UNESCO’s warning to keep the temple on its endangered list, the Pashupati Area Development Trust has not cooperated with other authorities to shut the road that cuts through the area,” ‘HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE’ quotes Bhesh Narayan Dahal: Director-general at the Department of Archaeology (DoA) as saying.
“We have received UNESCO’s verbal warning with the threat to put the shrine on the endangered sites’ list many times,” said Sushil Nahata: member-secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), “Operation of a public road in the heritage site area is the reason behind this warning, We are ready to cooperate with the government bodies to save the heritage site,” ‘HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE’ quotes Nahata as saying, terming the charges of non-cooperation for closure of the road a mere blame-game.
Shutting down the road passing through the Pashupati area has been a challenge to the authorities, as the local people object it. So, the repeated decisions on shutting down the road for the public transport have been failed.
According to the ‘HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE’, the Pashupati temple takes about Rs 10 million from the devotees’ offerings every month but the temple has been in a poor shape because of the lack of maintenance despite the so much earning every month. The last renovation of the temple was done during the reign of king Bhupalendra Malla in the 17th century. Probably, Lord Pashupati is the richest lord in the South Asia but the God has to live so poorly due to the negligence of the caretakers.