Proposal to shift cremation area from Pashupatinath Temple

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Kathmandu (Rashtriya Samachar Samiti): The Pashupati Area Development Fund is going to propose in the master plan to relocate the Pashupati Nath Temple to other places without keeping the nearby cremation area to maintain the historical, religious, cultural and archeological significance of the temple.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has formed a committee under the coordination of former member of the National Planning Commission Prada Chandramani Adhikari to review and finalize the master plan submitted to the cabinet for approval.

Member Secretary of the Fund, Pradip Dhakal said, “Devotees should rejoice at the Pashupatinath temple, the center of faith of the Vedic Sanatan Dharma spread all over the world, by burning incense, lamps and its fragrance. As at least 100 corpses started arriving daily during the Corona epidemic, it is being proposed to move the cremation area from Pashupatinath temple to Bagmati.”

There are archives of 200 corona victims who died one day during the outbreak of the corona epidemic. The master plan is to prepare a master plan to close cremation activity completely after the smoke started coming in an uncomfortable way to determine whether it is Pashupati area or cremation area.

It is also proposed to move the electric crematorium to a suitable place elsewhere.

Dhakal, who is also the member secretary of the master plan review committee, said that preparations are underway to develop the Bagmati bank at Pashupatinath as a center of worship, adoration, meditation and sadhana by removing cremation area.

The government has allocated Rs. 350 million to complete the expanded master plan of Pashupati region in the coming fiscal year. As there are many other sources of income, the fund has come to the conclusion that the argument that foreign tourists can be attracted on the basis of cremation scene alone is not correct.

He said that the temple area should not be converted into a cremation area, arguing that foreign tourists visit the Pashupati area, which is famous for its archeological significance.

As the population is increasing in the Kathmandu Valley, the fund is going to request the concerned bodies to find an alternative to the ferry. The fund suggests that the ferry should be arranged to support up to 10 million people.

Earlier, cremations were held at Gokarneshwar, Hatyamochan Ghat, Shankhamool area, Kalmochan Ghat and other places along the Bagmati River. Recently, due to cremation materials, Kriyaputri Bhawan, Brahmin facilities etc. in Pashupati area, the fund is proposing to make alternative arrangements through the master plan saying that it is being developed as a cremation area when all the people come here.