By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 15: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has started investigating the installation of the golden Jalahari at the Pashupatinath temple.
“We started an investigation into the matter after receiving complaints of possible financial irregularities in the Jalahari,” CIAA Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Risal said.
For the Jalahari, the government had provided the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) with Rs. 300 million. The Trust then also spent additional Rs. 200 million for it.
But now, the CIAA has raised questions about the weight of the Jalahari – the foundation on which the sacred Shiva Linga stands and from where the liquid offered to the Linga flows out – and the process followed to purchase the 108 kilograms of gold used to make it.
Dr. Pradeep Dhakal, member secretary of PADT, informed that the Trust had forwarded all the documents related to the gold procurement process to the anti-graft body.
“We had received a letter from the CIAA around a week ago where they expressed doubt about the total quantity of gold used,” Dhakal said. “The letter mentioned that only 97 kilograms of gold were used to make the Jalahari.”
Talking to The Rising Nepal, Dhakal defended the Pashupati Trust and said that the full stated quantity of gold was used to make the Jalahari. He also said that the Trust forwarded all the papers to the CIAA immediately after receiving the letter.
The Jalahari was installed at the base of the Shiva Linga inside the Pashupatinath temple on February 24.