Apr 9, 2012

Nepal - Hindu temple earns over US$2,000 offerings a day


On the first day of transparency of monetary offerings to the Pashupatinath temple yesterday, the never-known per-day income of the Nepali shrine stood around 111,000 rupees (US$2,176).

At this rate, regardless of special celebrations, the gross annual income of Nepal’s most popular Hindu pilgrimage could cross 40 million rupees (US$784,000).

Yesterday’s collection includes offerings made during the morning and afternoon prayers only. The evening (after 2pm) offerings will be separately counted and made public this morning. The cash will be deposited in an account with the Nepal Investment Bank.

According to Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) Treasurer Narottam Vaidya, the achievement, breaking the 700-year-long Pashupati orthodoxy, means a lot for the Hindus the world over.

Culture Minister Gopal Kirati said this is sure to pass a positive message on to other well-to-do temples at home and abroad. “We have set an example by implementing this long-cherished plan,” he said. “I am sure this will contribute greatly to the overall development of the temple, thereby maintaining the sacredness of the Pashupatinath.”

A separate committee headed by priests and officials counts the money collected on a daily basis. Before this, the temple priests - Bhattas and Bhandaris - used to divide the money among themselves without anyone else's consent. Therefore, the actual income of the Pashupati temple was never known to an outsider, not even the government or the PADT. Now on, that the priests' hold over the monetary offerings has been lifted, Bhatta, Bhandari, and all other sects of holy men working there will be provided fixed salaries.

A subcommittee formed in November last year to decide the issue has proposed to Kirati that priests should be paid fixed salaries. All the four major sections of the priests and helpers  - Bhatta, Bhandari, Bishet and Rairakami - will receive salaries and perks as provided to civil servants by the government.

Minister Kirati told The Post that it has been decided that the Mul Bhatta, chief of the four Bhatta priests, should be paid 40,000 rupees ($784) monthly and a daily allowance of 3,000 rupees ($59).

The remaining three Bhatta priests will receive 30,000 rupees per month and 2,000 rupees in daily allowance. Four high-class priests called Bhattas, who are fetched from South India every four years, carry out religious activities at the Pashupatinath temple. A Bhandari will be paid 350,000 rupees ($6,860) when he is in charge of temple affairs. There are 101 Bhandaris, each handling temple affairs for a period of one month in turn.

Ankit Adhikari
The Kathmandu Post



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