Kathmandu: A Nepalese Hindu has dragged the government to court over its decision to open the main treasury of Nepal`s famous Pashupatinath Temple that is believed to have remained padlocked for centuries.
Bharat Jangam, a Hindu activist and writer, has filed
a PIL in the Supreme Court on Thursday, pleading to strike
down the decision taken by the caretaker government to open
the main treasury of the fifth century shrine.
Jangam has argued that the caretaker government has no
right to open the more than 2000-year-old treasury of the
Hindu shrine.
The court is set to hear the case on Monday.
Located on the banks of the Bagmati river,
Pashupatinath is regarded as the most sacred temple of Shiva
(Pashupati) and the oldest Hindu shrine in Nepal.
The temple is also listed in UNESCO World Cultural
Heritage Site list.
Jangam, who had earlier dragged the Maoists to court
over its decision to dismiss Indian Brahmins from the holy
Hindu shrine, has argued that in a secular state the
government has no rights to interfere in religious matters.
If the government cannot open the treasury of a
Buddhist monastery or a Christian church how can it interfere
with the valuable assets of the Pashupatinath temple, he
asked.
However, a legitimate government can do the same by
enacting a separate act after holding consultations with Hindu
scholars and priests and othe prestigious people, he
underlined.
The main treasury `mul dhukuti` of Pashupatinath
is believed to contain priceless items, including Nagmani
(snake jewel), Gajamani (elephant jewel), Nilmani, (blue
precious stone).
Last month, the government decided to open the
treasury to maintain a record of the valuables and to ensure
their safety, said officials at Pashupati Area Development
Trust (PADT), that manages the affairs of the temple.
"We have also formed a 22-member committee to keep
records of the treasury and to manage the valuables," PADT’s
treasurer Narottam Vaidya told a newswire.
Jangam claimed that the keys of the treasures were
kept by Hindu Kings in the past, but no one knows their
whereabout.
To open the treasury the lock must be broken and being
a Hindu we don’t allow the caretaker government to break the
sacred treasury, he said.
However, PADT officials say they are planning to open
the treasury and list the valuable items in order to properly
manage them and to make the affairs transparent.
The people have every right to know about the
treasures of the temple, said Vaidya.
The PADT is also planning to establish a museum within
the temple premises where the valuable and priceless items
will be kept for public display, he added.
But now we have to wait the Supreme Court’s decision,
the temple`s treasurer said.
PTI
