Nepali Buddhist community has expressed dissatisfaction at the hasty reconstruction of Mayadevi temple at Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha, which, it says, does not match with Buddhist culture and style.

It has also opposed an attempt being made to install the stone sculpture of Mayadevi with newborn Siddhartha, preserved by Kaiser Shumsher JB Rana in a small room in the decade of 1930s, into the structure, construction work of which is yet to be completed and a rooftop to be installed.

Professor Asharam Shakya, former member secretary of Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) is resentful at what the trust is currently building a structure to cover the whole archaeological site and remains surrounding the marker stone installed by emperor Ashoka at the nativity of Lord Buddha.

The trust had decided to construct an iron platform after erecting pillars of Agrakha wood along the excavated site and build a stupa alike structure on the top for installation of the ancient Mayadevi sculpture. But the structure under construction is quite in contravention of the design approved by LDT, Professor Shakya lamented.

An attempt to install the priceless idol on a place included in the world heritage list with such makeshift structure devoid of a rooftop has raised a serious question on its safety, he added.

According to Professor Shakya, the budget estimate of the construction work was previously estimated to be around Rs 30 million which later was increased to Rs 69.96 million without any satisfactory reasons.

Although the budget for the construction work has been earmarked to Rs 90 million the second time, there is no possibility of completing the construction work by Buddha Jayanti on 26 May.

The construction work is underway as per the directive of minister for tourism, civil aviation and culture Bal Bahadur KC with a target of completing it by the holy day of Buddha Jayanti.

It is said that over Rs 60 million has been spent in the construction work so far.

The Buddhist community has been astonished as to how LDT, which only receives a budgetary allocation of Rs 20 million a year, has spend such a huge amount.