CIAA takes out ‘Jalahari’ from Pashupatinath temple for examination after corruption claims

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Sunday evening took out the “Jalahari” from the Pashupatinath Temple complex for examination after corruption claims.

Jalahari is the foundation on which the Shivalinga stands and from where the water and milk offered by devotees flows out.
The move by the anti-graft body comes after claims of corruption in the use of gold in the temple’s Jalahari which was carried out during the Prime Ministership of opposition leader KP Sharma Oli.

The probe was initiated on Sunday by CIAA with the assistance of Nepal Police, Pashupati Area Development Trust, Nepal Gold, and Silver Traders Federation, and elected representatives.

“The process is underway,” said Bhola Dahal the spokesperson of the anti-graft body briefly over the phone. The authority has taken out the Jalahari in pieces and will weigh it to find the actual amount of gold used at the time of preparation.

The then Prime Minister and opposition CPN-UML party chair- KP Sharma Oli led the government had decided to install a new “Jalahari”, the base of Shiva Linga made of gold inside the Pashupatinath Temple in the year 2021.

According to a report by the Auditor General’s office, approximately 11 kg of gold went missing during the construction of the base of Shiva Linga usually called Jalahari. The then President Bidya Devi Bhandari unveiled the Jalahari on February 24, 2021, three days before the scheduled date.

When raised about the issue in parliament, the opposition CPN-UML on May 26 this year resorted to obstructing the parliamentary meeting after the allegation was labeled on Oli.

The issue of corruption was raised lately by Lekh Nath Dahal, elected Member of Parliament from the CPN-Maoist Center. Later the statement of Dahal was erased from the record of parliament after which the opposition let the parliamentary meeting commence.

Earlier, the then Oli government had installed a Jalahari with 96 kilograms of gold at the temple on February 24, 2021, even as the Supreme Court (SC) had already been moved to prevent that. The government had said 12 kilograms of gold would be added later.

The SC had issued an interim order on the day the Jalahari was installed to stop the work pointing out that nothing can be added or removed from archaeological heritage. The Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) 59th annual report also raised questions about the Jalahari.

The report had not raised questions about the structure with 96.822 kilograms of gold but pointed out that details have not been submitted to prove that the said 10.976 kilograms of gold was used in the ring put around the Jalahari.