KATHMANDU: The reconstruction of the earthquake-devastated Budhanilakantha Temple has hit a snag due to the lack of adequate budget allocation.

The 2015 earthquake had destroyed various physical infrastructures including the rest house, Lord Shiva Temple, Goddess Saraswoti Temple, and a wall located within the premises of the temple.

Earlier, the temple management committee had sent a proposal including an investment proposal of Rs 200 million for its reconstruction to Budhanilakantha Municipality, however, the budget is yet to be released from the municipality, shared chief priest of the temple, Swami Nigamananda.

Meanwhile, Uddhav Prasad Kharel, Chief of the municipality argued that the setback is caused as the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has yet to issue budget for the temple reconstruction.

The Budhanilakantha Temple houses a full-bust statue of Lord Bishnu (Hindu God) sleeping over Sheshnag (serpent in the Hindu myth). It is stated in the stone carving that the statue was placed at the temple during the time of the then King Bishnu Gupta in 697 BS.

The statue — 5 meters tall (around 16.4 feet) — is a black stone structure carved from a single block of black basalt, positioned in the middle of a 13-metre long recessed pool of water.

Hindu pilgrims from Kathmandu Valley and different parts of the country flock the historically important temple, especially on the days of Haribodhani Ekadashi (in the month of October-November) and Harisayani Ekadashi (in the month of June-July), which marks the celebrations of the awakening and cosmic sleep of Lord Bishnu.