The sacred Pashupatinath Temple, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has increasingly transformed from a center of religious faith into a playground for intermediaries, opaque groups, and administrative collusion. Facts indicate that officials of the Pashupatinath Area Development Trust (PADT) have direct and indirect involvement in flouting the law, operating financial extortion rings, assaulting devotees, and violating religious and cultural norms. This network running a "Goonda Raj" (rule of thugs) that undermines the dignity of Pashupatinath revolves mainly around four key figures.

Four Main Figures and Their Unscrupulous Networks

1. Narayan Poudel (Ganga Aarti Group):

Operating the Ganga Aarti from across the Bagmati River, Poudel has been running commercial activities in the Pashupatinath premises for years without paying any rent, royalty, or deposit to the Padt. Shielded by the fact that the trust neither demanded money nor set a deadline for using government and public property, he has expanded his activities in the temple area. When questioned about opaque activities under the guise of running the aarti, Poudel has brushed off journalists with rude behavior, saying, "Come with official media house credentials, only then will I provide information." Commenting on the dispute between Pashupatinath and Budhasubba, Poudel publicly stated, "There has been various maneuvering between the Pashupatinath Development Trust and Budhasubba, I know all of that." In addition, the Budhasubba Digital faction has made serious allegations that the Ganga Aarti group obstructed their workplace and even vandalized their cameras.

2. Surya Bhat (Administration Chief and Information Officer, Pashupatinath Development Trust):

Surya Bhat, serving as the Information Officer and Administration Chief at the PADT, is accused of being the mastermind behind concealing information of public importance and allowing opaque groups to exploit legal loopholes. Having worked in the accounts branch of the trust for a long time, Bhat is accused of being linked to crores of rupees in financial irregularities. According to sources, Bhat has been seriously accused of acquiring a house and multiple plots of land in Kathmandu from illegal income. Bhat has continuously protected Narayan Poudel's Ganga Aarti group and Baleshwor Pvt. Ltd.'s "Bhale Don" while sidelining legitimate organizations trying to work by paying regular revenues. According to knowledgeable sources within the trust, Bhat has maintained an opaque nexus with those collecting weekly extortion and running illegal photography businesses within the temple premises. When repeatedly contacted for a reaction regarding these serious allegations and the current situation, Information Officer Surya Bhat did not answer his phone.

3. Tirthaprasad Shrestha (Member Secretary, Pashupatinath Development Trust):

Shrestha, who holds the executive leadership of the PADT, has faced past questions regarding his post qualifications and work capacity. Member Secretary Shrestha has maintained apathetic silence while ordinary citizens and devotees are cheated, beaten, and subjected to chaos by opaque groups inside the temple premises daily. When asked about the termination of the agreement with Sandhya Aarti (Budhasubba) and the dispute, Shrestha said, "We will answer about Sandhya Aarti in court; this matter has already reached the court." Similarly, when asked about the Ganga Aarti operating for years without rent and permission, he said, "One group says it's the Ganga Aarti group—I don't know about that, ask the Information Officer. I don't know what happened before we came, I haven't understood it in detail either. Whether they took permission or not will only be known after an investigation." Being the administrative head of the temple and shrugging off illegal businesses inside the premises by saying "I don't know" has raised serious doubts about his role.

4. Rajan Gurung 'Bhale Don' (Operator, Baleshwor Pvt. Ltd.):

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Rajan Gurung from Kaski has been running a "Bhale Tantra" (rooster rule) by harboring dozens of thugs under the name of cameramen within the Pashupatinath Temple premises under the guise of a photography contract. Gurung's group has been involved in failing to pay the specified rent, arbitrarily charging devotees, and beating pilgrims who protest. Although the contract with the trust expired at the end of Shrawan 2083, Gurung's cameramen and intermediaries continue to roam unauthorized within the temple premises and threaten other bodies from working. When contacted for a reaction regarding their unauthorized presence and extortion business that persists even after the contract cancellation, Rajan Gurung's phone was switched off.

Legal Proceedings Pending in the High Court

This dispute has now reached the legal sphere after the trust unilaterally canceled its agreement with Budhasubba Digital Pvt. Ltd. on Bhadra 18, citing a decision made on Baisakh 15. Budhasubba Manager Navraj Giri has reached the Patan High Court for legal remedy, stating that he was unjustly chased away without receiving a work order despite paying crores of rupees in deposits and bank guarantees. Even while the case is sub judice in court, trust officials have been trying to cover up their irregularities by hiding in the shadow of the court.

The Religious and Classical Irrelevance of Aarti at Aryaghat

Looking at the geographical location and classical recognition of the Pashupatinath Temple, religious scholars have concluded that the direction and location of the Ganga Aarti currently operated from across the Bagmati are entirely inappropriate.

  • Geographical and Architectural Incongruity: The main temple of Pashupatinath is situated on the western bank of the Bagmati River. According to classical scriptures, any worship or aarti must be performed facing the deity or facing east (Purvamukh). However, the Ganga Aarti performed from across the Bagmati (eastern bank) faces west, which results in turning one's back toward Lord Pashupatinath while performing the aarti.
  • Conflict Between Cremation and Aarti: Performing the aarti facing west from across the Bagmati brings Aryaghat and Bhasmeshwor Ghat directly ahead. On one hand, the mourning atmosphere of bodies burning on funeral pyres, and on the other hand, staging a musical aarti with band instruments using that as a background, is a severe violation of Hindu rites and cremation decorum. Mixing funeral rites (death rituals) and aarti (worship of life and celebration) in one place for commercial display has severely hurt the core spiritual consciousness of the temple.

Unwarranted Pressure Persisting Even After Contract Cancellation

Although the trust announced the cancellation of the contract on paper, in practice, unauthorized cameramen of Baleshwor Pvt. Ltd. and Rajan Gurung have not left the temple premises. Even after the contract period ended, "Bhale Don's" men remain deployed at sensitive sites of the temple, surrounding devotees, demanding high fees, and behaving rudely if they refuse. A physical assault on an Indian Army soldier inside the Pashupatinath premises a few months ago has already exposed how lax the security arrangements here are.

Regulatory bodies of the state, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), and the Home Administration need to take immediate strict steps to prevent Pashupatinath—the center of faith for billions of Hindus worldwide—from becoming a stronghold of thuggery, weekly extortion, and administrative corruption.