By Binu Shrestha

Kathmandu, Nov. 29: Owing to the lack of proper transparency, records of fixed and movable assets belonging to the Pashupatinath Temple are off limits to the common people.
Although properties of Pashupatinath Temple had been lost in the past and a huge amount of fixed assets are still misplaced, the temple still possesses a huge amount of property.
According to the Pashupatinath’s Property, Guthi Land Study and Investigation Committee report, about 4,805 ropanis of land is registered in the name of the temple.
The report shows 2,795 ropanis of land is registered under the Shree Pashupatinath Bhandar Tahabil Office.
There is 1,499 ropanis of land registered under the Shree Pashupatinath Amalkot Kachari Office and about 511 ropanis of land is registered under the Shree Pashupatinath Jayabageshwori Bhandar Tahabil.
The report stated that around 291 ropanis of land is yet to be registered under the Shree Pashupatinath Bhandar Tahahil Office and Amalkot Kachari Office.
A meeting of the Operation Council of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) held in September 22, 2017 had formed the Land Investigation and Conservation Committee in coordination of Dr. Milan Kumar Thapa, treasurer of PADT.
The meeting had taken a decision to prepare the land report of the Pashupatinath Temple, as a huge amount of across the nation is in the name of Pashupatinath Temple under the three offices of Shree Pashupatinath Bhandar Tahabil Office, Shree Pashupatinath Amalkot Kachari Office and Shree Pashupatinath Jayabageshwori Bhandar Tahabil.
The annual income of these three offices is Rs. 6.4 million. However, Rs. 10 million rent is collected from Tribhuvan International Airport annually, the report said.
Of the movable assets of Pashupatinath Temple, it has 54 kg 912 grams of gold and 1,325 kg 927 grams of silver. The gold and silver offered by the devotees in the name of Lord Shiva are kept at the treasure house.
It is mentioned that there is a Shiva crown embellished with diamond and pearl except for the gold and silver vessels.
Gajamani, pearls of Surtakanta, python, stone and frog are kept under the supervision of main priest of Pashupatinath.
After the implementation of monetary transparency regulation in April 8, 2012, about 1,044.64 grams of gold, 141,128.75 grams of silver, 288,519 grams of copper, 13,934.28 grams of brass and other metals were offered by devotees in the fiscal year of 2074/75 B.S.
Dr. Milan Kumar Thapa, treasure of PADT, said that the report prepared by the committee did not include the complete figure of the movables and fixed assets belonging to the Pashupatinath Temple.
The government needs to form a high level investigation committee to find out other hidden and missing assets of Pashupatinath, he said.