The Rato Machhidrantath Consumer Committee is reconstructing the Rato Machhindranath Temple with the aim of completing it by the time of coming Rato Machhindratha Jatra.
Currently 70 per cent reconstruction work of the temple, in Bungamati, Lalitpur, has completed after the committee took up the responsibility of constructing it.
The work is progressing in the right direction after the Department of Archaeology (DoA) handed over the project to the committee in June, 2020.
The major works on the ground floor has completed and now work on upper part of the Shikhar-styled temple is underway.
Madhukar Tuladhar, secretary of the consumer committee, attributed the delay in the construction to the nature of work process. It has used around 50 different sizes of bricks to build the temple, he said.
“Bricks from very big size to small one are being used to build the temple as per its original shape. Each brick weigh around 50 kg. It has not used normal bricks like in other temples, and it takes time to prepare different sizes of bricks. Our unique work process has delayed the construction, but it is necessary to build the temple in traditional style,” said Tuladhar.
The construction of a small window in the corner of the temple is being planned at the moment, and we have been sourcing bricks prepared in artistic style from a Bhaktapur-based brick industry, he said. “We aim to complete the reconstruction work by next year Rato Machhindranath Jatra and put the idol of Red Machhindranath inside the temple.”
The idol was taken to Bungamati after the Bhoto exhibition ceremony concluded.
Earlier, the future of Rato Machhindranath temple was pushed into limbo after the Sri Lankan government withdrew its support from the project after it got mired in several controversies over the use of construction materials and other issues. Then, the government had given the responsibility of reconstructing the temple to the consumer committee. The committee began its work after organising a special worship.
“We have completed the construction of the ground floor after rectifying the mistakes made by the earlier contractor,” said Amir Shakya, chairman of the committee, adding, “The contractor had installed the door without repairing the damaged part and without adding the missing parts of the door. That took us a lot of time to correct.”
“The first deadline of the contract expired on June 29, 2021, as did the second in March 2022, Tuladhar said, “We are trying to extend the third one until the date of coming Rato Machhindranth Jatra.”
The temple was damaged by the 2015 earthquake, and is being reconstructed with the financial assistance of Rs. 30.8 million. The work of reconstruction started a year ago.
Source : TRN,
