Incident Reports

Locals protest demolition of Shivalaya in Pashupati Temple area

2017-07-10

Bagmati, Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Ward 8

The irate locals at the Pashupati Temple have protested the demolition of one of the four Shivalayas at the Agnihotri Yagyashala of Bankali on the Pashupat Temple premises. The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) demolished the Shivalaya so as to construct a building for mourners. Chairperson of Buddha Air, Surendra Bahadur Basnet, is learnt to have donated Rs 10.5 million for the construction of the building as a part of the company's corporate social responsibility. Locals have also blamed the PADT that it has encroached upon the centuries-old structure of archaeological significance by bringing it down on Saturday without any consultation with the Department of Archaeology (DoA) and without affidavit. A local Jaladaraj Baidya shared that the Trust dismantled the Shivalaya on Saturday. "We will file a complaint against it at the CIAA and Department of Archaeology," said Baidya, questioning, "Where are the idols inside the temple and the riches beneath the land the idol was erected?" According to him, the details recorded by the PADT showed the Shivalaya has only one Bhairava's idol. Similarly, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No 8 Chairperson Dinesh Dangol said that he too came to know about the demolition of the Shivalaya. He informed the National News Agency (RSS) that the PADT, on Sunday, decided to rebuild the temple since the locals and people's representatives have protested its move to set up the building for mourners. PADT's Executive Director Ramesh Kumar Uprety claimed that the dilapidated building was demolished after the demand to construct a building for mourners. He assured that there were no valuables of archaeological significance inside the temple. "It did not have any idols nor did it have any riches. Rather it was a house to piles of logs stocked belonging to Agnihotrishala." No police report was made on the demolishment of the Shivalaya, according to the Deputy Superintendent of Police Navaraj Karki at the Metropolitan Police Range, Gaushala. RSS made several attempts to reach archaeologist Devendra Bhattarai and the Spokesperson at the DoA, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, who went to the demolished site for on-site visit but they refused to give a clear answer to the questions relating to the demolition. RSS पशुपतिनाथ मन्दिर परिसरमा रहेको एउटा शिवालय विवादास्पद रुपमा भत्काइएको छ । किरियापुत्री भवन बनाउने भन्दै शिवालय भत्काएपछि स्थानीयले पशुपति क्षेत्र विकास कोषको आलोचना गरेका छन् । तर, कोषका अधिकारीहरुले भने भत्काइएको संरचना शिवालय नै नभएको दावी गरेका छन् । गत शनिबार पशुपति क्षेत्र विकास कोषका सदस्य सचिव गोविन्द टण्डनको कार्यकालको अन्तिम दिन थियो । त्यही दिन वनकाली क्षेत्रमा रहेको एक शिवालय छेउमा डोजर पुग्यो र पुरानो शिवालय भत्काउन थाल्यो । केही स्थानीयले बिरोध जनाएपनि डोजर रोकिएन । स्थानीयले पुरातात्विक क्षेत्रको शिवालय नभत्काउन माग गरेका थिए । आफ्नो कुरा सुनुवाई नभएपछि स्थानीयले काठमाडौं महानगरपालिका वडा नम्बर ८ का नवनिर्वाचित वडाअध्यक्ष दिनेशकुमार डंगोललाई फोन गरे । पशुपति क्षेत्रभित्रै डोजर प्रवेश गरेको र पुरातात्विक शिवालय भत्काएको कुरा सुनेपछि डंगोल तत्काल घटनास्थल पुगे । ‘म पुगेर पनि केही गर्नसक्ने स्थिति थिएन । मुचुल्का समेत नउठाई स्थानीयहरु नभएको मौका छोप्दै शिवालय भत्काइएको रहेछ,’ डंगोलले भने, ‘पशुपति क्षेत्रमा डोजर छिराएर त्यति धेरै पुरातात्विक महत्वको शिवालय भत्काउनु क्षम्य अपराध होइन ।’ उनले शिवालयमा हुनुपर्ने विभिन्न मूर्तिसहितका सम्पदाहरु त्यहाँ नरहँदा विभिन्न आशंका उत्पन्न भएको पनि बताए ।
Details and Impacts
Violent / Non-violent Nonviolent
Collective / Interpersonal Collective
Primary Form Demonstration
Primary Cause Issues related to legal action and access to justice
Actor 1 - Number of people 50
Actor 1 - Affiliations Citizen/Individuals
Actor 1 - Youth unknown
Actor 2 - Number of people NA
Actor 2 - Affiliation (Target) Local authorities (incl VDC, district, gov. line agencies at local level except education and health)
Actor 2 - Youth na
National/Online Media

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