GORKHA: Over Rs 140 million has been spent on the reconstruction of Manakamana Temple damaged by the earthquake of April 2015, said the temple reconstruction committee.

Of the used budget for the project, the Department of Archaeology released Rs 40 million, and the remaining amount was collected from offerings made by the pilgrims, said Krishna Babu Shrestha, treasurer of the temple reconstruction committee.

"Most of the money was spent on the purchase of gold for the reconstruction. Over 14.47 kilograms of gold was used to gold-plate the temple's roof, windows and doors. Of the total gold purchased, 286 grams and 17 milligrams remain unused," he said, adding, of the expenditure, over Rs 5.5 million went to the employees' expenditure and Rs 6.2 million to administrative work.

Over Rs 134 million was spent on purchasing the gold and providing wages to the construction workers. Over Rs 150 million was collected from the fundraising campaign launched by the committee for the reconstruction, and more than Rs 14 million came from interest on money the committee had deposited in banks.

The unused money worth more than Rs 58 million has been deposited in the committee's bank accounts, said Shrestha. Initially, the committee had estimated over Rs 48 million for the reconstruction. But its expenditures increased due to various reasons, said Shrestha.

The four-storey temple had tilted around 12 inches towards north-east by the quake and developed cracks on its roofs. Started some three months after the quake, the project missed its completion target between mid-March and mid-April, 2018 due to various reasons including the economic blockade and scarcity of woods needed for the reconstruction, said Shrestha.