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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