KATHMANDU – Arjundhara Jaleswordham, popularly known as the Pashupatinath of the eastern Nepal, has encountered a financial crisis due to the effects of coronavirus. The dham, which had been operating based on the offerings made at the temple, has now been facing financial crisis after revelers stopped attending the shrine due to threat of the coronavirus.
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). Development committee treasurer Manoj Joshi said that it has been difficult to bear the costs involved in providing salary to nine regular staff 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 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. Local governments have been approached to help in providing regular salary to employees and meals to Batuk. All religious institutions will face financial hardship unless temples are fully reopened for prayers and worships, he further said.
Dham’s publicity committee deputy coordinator journalist Dipin Rai said that the federal government last year had allocated Rs 5 million for the construction of a wall on the dham premises, but 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”.
