Arjundhara Jaleswordham reeling under financial crisis

Kathmandu - Arjundhara Jaleswordham, popularly known as the Pashupatinath of the eastern Nepal, has come across a financial crisis due to the effects of coronavirus. The dham which has been operating based on the offerings made at the temple now is reeling under financial crisis when the revelers stopped turning up to the shrine due to threat of coronavirus transmission.

Even the current resources of the dham are not enough to provide regular salary to the employees and offer food to Batuk (Hindu boys trained for chanting mantras). Dham development committee treasurer Manoj Joshi said it has been uneasy to bear the costs involved in providing salary to nine regular staffs and meals to 45 Batuk.

“Main income sources of the dham were the funds collected from the offerings and prayers made at the temple from revelers and worshippers, bratabandha, wedding functions and other religious events”, he said, adding, “The economic crisis has resulted in when there has been a sharp decline in the flow of revelers and worshippers into the temple for the past eight months due to COVID-19”.

The regular monthly operational expenses of the temple is Rs 300,000. A situation has emerged to approach local governments for regular salary to the employees and meals to Batuk. All religious institutions would get into financial crisis unless the temples are fully opened for prayers and worships, he further said.

Dham’s publicity committee deputy coordinator journalist Dipin Rai said through the federal government last year had allocated Rs 5 million for the construction of wall on the dham premises no fund has been received for the regular operations. “Arjundharadham is a big religious property of the eastern Nepal”, he said, calling for all three tiers of the government to protect it from economic crisis”.