Pashupatinath temple received 9 kg gold as offerings in 56 years

Kathmandu, June 5

People believe that Pashupatinath temple is the biggest money-spinner Hindu shrine in Nepal.

Thousands of devotees, both Nepalis and Indians, offer money, gold and silver to the highly revered Hindu temple in the world daily.

Income of the temple has remained a matter of curiosity for many. If the much-awaited revenue details published today by the governing body of the temple are to be believed, it collected 9.276 kg gold and 316 kg silver, in the past 56 years. According to a probe panel formed by Pashupati Area Development Trust to inquire the income of the temple, the revenue in gold and silver cover the period from 1962 to 2018.

The temple collected 8.232 kg gold and 175 kg silver from 1962 to 2011.

Total 1.044 kg precious yellow metal and 198 kg silver were collected from devotees as offerings, during the period of 2011-2018. According to the probe panel headed by PADT treasurer Milan Kumar Thapa, no record or documentation of revenue of the years preceding 1962 was available. The gold and silver have been kept in the main treasury of the temple.

The report said that PADT had a bank balance of around Rs 1.29 billion.

As for its immovable assets, PADT owns more than 6,000 ropanis land in and around the temple premises, Bouddha and Sinamangal. There are as many as 119 rest houses under PADT.

“PADT and Guthi Sansthan collectively own 18,342 ropanis of land,” the report said.