Kathmandu: Nepal’s apex anti-graft body has initiated a probe into the missing gold in the ‘Jalhari’ within the Pashupatinath Temple amid growing claims of irregularities in the construction of the newly-installed ornament, a media report said Monday.
Jalhari is the foundation on which the Shiva linga stands and covers the inner sanctum sanctorum of the Pashupatinath Temple, the oldest Hindu temple in Kathmandu.
The temple was shut for devotees Sunday after the government directed the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to investigate a report that 10 kilograms of gold were missing from the Jalhari.
A special team from the CIAA successfully completed the weighing of gold. The weighing process commenced at 6pm Sunday and concluded at 2am Monday.
“The weighing process for the Jalhari has been completed, and we are currently conducting a final assessment to determine its total weight, considering the Jalhari’s fragmented structure,” My Republica website quoted an official source as saying.
While the source indicated that an initial measurement revealed a decrease in the weight of the Jalhari, the exact extent of the reduction has not been confirmed. “We can only provide further information once the final assessment is completed,” the report quoted the source as saying.
Following repairs, the Jalhari will be reinstated within the Pashupatinath Temple, the report said.
The CIAA probe came in response to a complaint raised over irregularities surrounding the Jalhari.
According to the Pashupati Area Development Authority, it had bought 103 kilograms of gold to make the Jalahari but 10 kilograms were missing from the ornament.
Dozens of security personnel, including Nepal Army soldiers, were deployed at the temple premises Sunday.
PTI