[Reader-list] Stay order defied at Nepal temple

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

* Stay order defied at Nepal temple
 *Prerana Marasini

KATHMANDU: The newly-appointed priests performed rituals at the
Pashupatinath Temple here for the second day on Friday though the Supreme
Court in a stay order on Thursday directed them not to do so.

The court had issued the order to the Pashupati Area Development Trust
(PADT) but the officials say they came to know about it only through news.
"We haven't received anything in writing,"

Shyam Sekhar Jha, Director of the Trust, told *The Hindu.*

"We cannot implement anything unless we get the decision in hand and discuss
it."

The three Indian priests, who had been working at the temple, had submitted
their resignations at different times but they were accepted by the PADT at
once.

Head priest Mahabaleswar had been working at the temple for more than 15
years.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jha said the priests had cited health problems for resigning.
"We even requested them to come to the temple and perform puja, but they
didn't turn up." Some sections of society opposed the decision to replace
the priests terming it "politicisation of religion".

The Prime Minister is the patron of the temple. The new priests are alleged
to be Maoists.

The government is also blamed for breaking the tradition without adhering to
the procedures to hire new ones.
 President approached

A delegation of the Constituent Assembly members met President Ram Baran
Yadav on Friday and asked for help in resolving the chaos.

According to a member Suprabha Ghimire, Mr Yadav said he would consult the
government soon on the matter.

The tradition of conducting the main rituals by Indian priests had started
long before Nepal was united by King Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Nepal was the only Hindu Kingdom in the world until 2006, when the interim
government turned it to a secular country.