KATHMANDU, Feb 8: Out of the nine ponds belonging to the Pashupatinath temple, six have disappeared. As those ponds, estimated to have been built about 100 years ago, have been lost, officials of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) are now searching for them.
"Preparations are underway to restore the nine ponds of the Pashupatinath temple, constructed around 70 to 100 years ago," said Raju Khatri, member secretary of the PADT. "We are currently searching for the missing ponds."
According to the PADT, all these ponds are believed to have been built on approximately 3 annas of land. It has been discovered that these ponds are currently located in the 7th and 8th wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the former Pashupati Village Panchayat.
Among these ponds, Dharamshala Pond, Rajarajeshwari Pond, Hanshamandap Pond, Bankali Pond, and Bhandarkhal Pond are situated within the Pashupati area. However, these ponds are not in their original form.
The little priest
PADT has stated that the Guheshwari pond has not yet been found, with officials also unable to locate the land it once occupied. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati has shown keen interest in locating the nine ponds of Pashupati and the temple-owned land. The minister has formed a high-powered committee for this purpose, according to PADT officials.
Lam Pokhari, built on three ropani six anna of land in Chabahil area, and Dhacha pond, built on three ropani 8 annas of land, are also not in their original form. However, the land where these ponds are located has been identified. Meanwhile, the two-aana plot of land where Leb Pokhari was situated in prehistoric times has yet to be found. Among these three ponds, Dhacha Pokhari, Lam pokhari, and Leb Pokhari are said to be outside the Pashupati area.
An official of the PADT said, "In ancient times, the Pashupati temple had nine ponds, nine doors, nine wells, and nine tables."
Similarly, the temple had nine ‘dewalis’, nine streams, nine ‘shaktipeeths’, nine ‘tols’, and nine ‘mulis’. According to PADT officials, all of these have now disappeared. PADT mentions that the main gate now erected in front of the Pashupati temple is not the original gate. This gate was built during the reign of King Mahendra, using concrete and iron for its construction.
According to PADT officials, the nine gates constructed in ancient times have been completely lost, but some traces of them have been discovered. Unlike the gates built in ancient times, concrete and iron are not found to have been used in the original gates.
Total land of Pashupati Temple is 3,667 ropanis
The government had formed various committees on different dates to find the actual land owned by the Pashupati temple.
According to another official of the PADT, it has been found that the Pashupatinath tempe once owned 3,667 ropanis, four annas, and three paisa of land.
PADT officials say that 231 ropani and 10 annas of land owned by Pashupati is still to be found. According to them, land equal to this amount is found in the records of the Pashupati Temple, but the value is yet to be ascertained.
The PADT states that Tribhuvan International Airport is using 1,161 ropanis, four annas, and three paisa land of the temple. Similarly, it has been found that the Taragaon Development Committee is the tenant of 17 ropanis of land belonging to the temple.
