An effort of "Gumba Management and Development Committee" to survey all Buddhist monasteries in the country has been hampered due to the deteriorated law and order situation. The committee had a plan to undertake survey works in Gorkha, Sindhupalchok and Solukhumbu in the current fiscal year.

Indra Bahadur Gurung, member secretary of the committee said that instead of pre-scheduled districts, the committee was planning to start works in Manang district, which is free of terror. The committee is supported by Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) in the survey works. A member of the survey team at CNAS, citing the lack of resources, said that survey works in the district will start after a couple of months.

The survey efforts face serious constraints of the resources apart from the security problems. Only two monasteries in Taplejung and Sankhuwasabha could be surveyed during the last fiscal year.

Ancient images, weapons, thankas and others objects in the monasteries are considered important resources to carry out the investigation regarding the concerned monasteries.

According to Gurung, Dikshyoling Monastery at Olangchungola in Taplejung district has been found to be the oldest, historic and important among all of the monasteries surveyed so far.

"It costs about Rs 200,000 to undertake survey in a single monastery, but in terms of the findings, this particular monastery, the Dikshyoling should not be compared to the expenses," said Gurung. There are one thousand four hundred monasteries registered with the committee in the country so far.

Buddhist communities like Ningmpa, Kargyuppa, Sakyappa and Gheluppa have been involved in constructing monasteries in the country for centuries. Building monasteries by local resources has become too costly nowadays.

CNAS officials say that it takes at least two to three months time to carry out the survey works in a single monastery and the institution lacks the skilled manpower for that. "This is yet another reason for the delay," they say.