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Keep Pashupatinath temple above politics: Gyanendra

KATHMANDU: The former king of Nepal, Gyanendra Shah, is reported to have raised concern over the recent appointment of two Nepali priests at the Pashupatinath temple.

Local news channels said the king appealed to all to keep the temple out of controversies and above politics. He also requested for normalising the situation to allow the regular rituals with ease.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s order was defied for the third time on Saturday, with the new priests performing the rituals.

However, the regular worship has been halted since Tuesday as local ‘Bhandaris’ who assist the priests in carrying out the ‘rituals’ are protesting against the government’s decision.

On Thursday, the court issued a stay order to the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) not to allow the new priests to perform rituals. Instead, it had asked the PADT to allow the performing of ‘puja’ by the Indian priests, whose resignations had been accepted recently.

On Friday, PADT director told The Hindu that they had not received anything in writing, because of which they allowed the new priests. But lawyers say PADT’s defiance means disregard to the court’s order.

When the decision is carried as news by the media, it gives enough evidence to the PADT to accept the court’s decision, says advocate Tikaram Bhattarai.

New Delhi Special Correspondent reports:

Bharatiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh on Saturday conveyed to Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and President Ram Baran Yadav his party’s concern over the replacement of Indian priests at the Pashupatinath temple. Mr. Singh told journalists here that the two leaders had assured him that they would look into the issue and take steps to resolve the problem.

He had conveyed to them telephonically the concern in India as Pashupatinath is a holy shrine visited by thousands of Indian, Nepalese and other devotees every year. For three centuries, Indian priests led the prayers at this temple and this tradition was part of the shared cultural bonds between the two countries.

The ongoing crisis resulted in a break in daily prayers at the temple, he said.

“The removal of Indian priests was not only in complete defiance of the order of the Nepal Supreme Court but also hurt the sentiments of the people in India,” he said.

By removing the Indian priests “the Maoist forces have not only dealt a body blow to the centuries-old tradition of the temple but also tried to undermine the inherent India-Nepalese cultural ties,” Mr. Singh said.

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