Source: www.hindustantimes.com
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, August 16, 2009: Nepal’s hallowed Pashupatinath temple, one of the holiest Hindu shrines and a Unesco world heritage site, is once again the center of controversy.
When the Maoist government was in power, it appointed Bishnu Dahal, a Nepali, to serve as chief priest, contrary to the time-honored tradition of employing only Indian priests from the orthodox south Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The move triggered widespread protests. Facing worldwide outrage and a Supreme Court decision, the Maoist government removed Dahal and the Indian priests were reinstated.
With the fall of the Maoist government, the Pashupatinath Area Development Trust now contacted four Indian peeths – sacred monasteries – in Karnataka, Orissa, Gujarat and Uttarakhand. The monasteries will shortlist suitable candidates, who will be screened and interviewed by PADT, which has also decided to increase the number of priests at the Pashupatinath temple to allow for occasional illness or absences. This time, it is the Maoist camp that is protesting.
Dahal’s Jayatu Sanskritam Mahasabha organization, supported by the Sanskiritik Nawajagaran Andolan and the Maoists, has announced a new protest to block the appointments, but PADT has remained unmoved.