Sunday, October 26, 2008


Translated from Sandhya Times national daily
National cognizance to Nepal Sambat
Welcomed from all sides, call to us it in practice
Kathmandu (Sandhya Times)/ The movement that has been going on for decades to declare Nepal Sambat as a national era has officially suceeded this year. The cabinet meeting of the first republican government of Nepal held on Friday made such decision to take cognizance of the indigenous Nepal Sambat same as the Bikram Sambat in national calendar.


Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Kathmandu Post | Guthi land encroachment poses threat to cultures

DEV KUMAR SUNUWAR

KATHMANDU, Oct 19 - Delay in action against encroachment of land owned by Guthi Sansthan across the country, has led to serious threat of extinction of century-old cultures and rituals.

Officials at Guthi Sansthan charge that government apathy towards the Sansthan is the major reason for encroachment. They say the government has never provided support to the Sansthan with timely action against encroachers.

"We have made a number of efforts on our own and requested the government to help us get the encroached land back," said Achchutananda Pokharel, Chief of branch office of Guthi Sansthan at Tripureswore, adding, "But our requests have had no impact."

For instance, on January 1, 1982, Guthi Sansthan provided 10 ropani land to Nepal Eye Hospital at Tripureswore in Kathmandu. The agreement stated that the hospital would provide Rs. 2,500 as monthly compensation. But the hospital hasn't yet paid a single paisa to the Sansthan.

In another instance of the Sansthan getting shortchanged, locals of Tripureswore, about a decade later, submitted a proposal to the Sansthan stating they would build a garden in the area and preserve temples around it. The Sansthan accepted the proposal. But the locals constructed a building, which has now become a youth club.

According to Guthi Sansthan statistics, it owns some 1.6 million ropani land in 68 districts. In the three districts of the Valley alone, it owns 80,000 ropani land.

"Our records show that land worth billions of rupees, which the Sansthan owns have been encroached by various institutions and individuals in Kathmandu valley alone," said Saroj Thapaliya, a focal person at Guthi Sansthan.

He charges that institutions and individuals who have encroached the Sansthan's land are playing the game of politics. "Even those who sign an agreement never stand by it," he said.
Thapaliya says the Guthi Sansthan Act of 1964 clearly states that land-tillers' ownership is automatically nullified if anyone does not fulfill the agreement signed with the Sansthan within a year.

However, the organizations, which took the Guthi's land in the past, are now claiming their tillers' right to it.

"Since we have been using the land for over 40-years, we are not in a position to give it back to the Sansthan now," said a senior official at Nepal Eye Hospital, which has taken some 10 ropani land of the Sansthan. He said the government should transfer the land to the hospital honouring tillers' right.

"According per our record, the Guthi is supposed to earn more than 250 million rupees annually as compensation from land provided to various institutions and individuals," said Thapaliya, adding, "But we have to struggle hard to collect even Rs. 80 million."

He said the government used to provide 4 million rupees annually to the Sansthan as administration costs. But this has stopped from 1993. "The major chunk of our earnings these days goes for meeting administrative costs. Therefore, it's difficult for us to carry out renovation work on dilapidated cultural sites," he said.

The history of Guthi dates back to earlier than the Lichhavi Dynasty that ruled more than a thousand years ago in Nepal. The government established Guthi Sansthan in 1964 as a non-profit public corporation to take care of the land which belongs to temples and other cultural heritages. The Guthi used to organise social festivities as part of its programme to preserve ancient rituals, besides carrying out renovation work of temples and heritage sites.

Now, officials at the Sansthan say they can help preserve invaluable cultural sites only if it gets the 'encroached' land back and its compensations regularly.

Posted on: 2008-10-19 21:35:18 (Server Time)

http://ip-72-167-53-34.ip.secureserver.net/kolnews.php?&nid=164129

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Kathmandu Post | Capital’s new Kumari from today

POST REPORT

KATHMANDU, Oct 6 - Three-year-old Matina Shakya will take her seat as the living goddess in Kumari Ghar today.

Guthi Sansthan officials said a four-member committee comprising priests of Taleju and Kumari Ghar selected her for the position as the reigning Kumari arrived at close to retirement age.

"Preeti Shakya, the reigning Kumari is already 11 and there could be an accident any time," said Hem Raj Subedi, general manager of Guthi Sansthan, a government authority that looks after religious and cultural affairs on behalf of the state.

By the term "accident", Subedi was referring to the onset of menstruation cycle on the reigning Kumari as a Kumari cannot remain in the seat after menstruation appears.

Preeti has been in the seat since 2001, shortly after the Royal Massacre.

Like her predecessors, Matina will be separated from her biological parents during her stay in Kumarighar as the living goddess.

On September 28, a new Kumari, Shreeya Bajracharya, has taken her seat in Bhaktapur, another state-recognized Kumari. The seat was vacant for eight months.

In the past, the royal priest used to appoint the Kumari but after the abolition of monarchy, this practice has been abandoned. The Guthi Sansthan had on Sunday informed President Dr Ram Baran Yadav about the selection of a new Kumari.

Posted on: 2008-10-06 20:14:16 (Server Time)

http://ip-72-167-53-34.ip.secureserver.net/kolnews.php?&nid=163124

Monday, October 6, 2008

The Himalayan Times | Manita to be appointed as new Kumari

THT Online
Kathmandu, October 6:Guthi Sansthan is all set to appoint new Kumari, Manita Shakya, on Maha Asthami, which falls on Tuesday. Manita will replace 11-year-old Preeti Shakya.A team of Guthi Sansthan officials today met President Ram Baran Yadav in connection with the appointment of new Kumari.A team of experts comprising the main priest of Taleju Temple, head astrologer (Jyothishi Naike), Pancha Buddha Naike and the caretaker of Kumari selected Manita.Earlier, royal priests would select the Kumari after checking whether her horoscope was harmonious with that of the king.Chief of Guthi Sansthan Hem Raj Subedi said this year the Guthi Sansthan was given the authority to approve the recommendation made by the experts' team.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=aFanata0va3qzpla2Ua8ra.axamal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20081006

The Kathmandu Post | Golden spouts gets facelift

RSS
LALITPUR, Oct 5 - The historic Sundhara (golden spout) based in Lalitpur got a new lease of life after 10 years. Locals themselves re-constructed and reversed the tap, which ran dry for a long time, to its previous condition.
Among the two Sundharas in the Kathmandu Valley, the water spout in Sundhara of Kathmadu has been running dry and we re-built the other based in Lalitpur thinking that it would meet the same fate of the former one, said a local, Manoj Chipalu.
A programme was organised here today on the occasion of completion of the re-construction the golden tap. Addressing the function, cultural expert Satya Mohan Joshi said water does not come out of golden taps in any country in the world, thus we have to conserve this fundamental tradition.
He lauded the locals' efforts made to preserve the golden tap, built in 13th Century (beginning of Malla rule). Following the renovation, water has been flowing from all four tapes there. The re-construction work was carried out at the cost of Rs 800,000.
Posted on: 2008-10-05 19:09:46 (Server Time)

http://ip-72-167-53-34.ip.secureserver.net/kolnews.php?&nid=163087

The Kathmandu Post | Panel formed on Guthi Sasthan

RSS

KATHMANDU, Oct 5 - The Ministry of Culture and State Restructuring has constituted a 19-member high level committee under the convenorship of Pabitra Bajracharya to study the significance of the Guthi Sansthan and the functioning of the Newa Culture.The Committee has been constituted as per the five-point agreement reached at the Finance Ministry on September 21 in connection with the 10-point demand put forth by the heads of the Pulunkisi naach, Lakhe naach and Aakash Bhairav naach and the representative of the Shree Kumari Ghar.The Committee has been assigned to study the significance of the Guthi Sansthan in the present condition and the problems facing the continuity of the Newa culture and tradition, and present a report along with recommendations within three months.The representative of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation will be the Member-Secretary of the Committee.Likewise, the Ministry has also nominated members to the Recommendation Committee to be constituted under the cairmanship of the Minister for Culture and State Restructuring as per the Nepal Academy Act, Nepal Music and Dance Academy Act and Nepal Fine Art Academy Act.Accordingly the nominated members include Biswabhakta Dulal (Ahuti) and Ganesh Bhandari for Nepal Academy, Ganga Prasad Upreti and Khusiram Pakhrin for Nepal Music and Dance Academy and Ganga Prasad Akela and Dr Nandish Adhikari, it is stated in press statement issued by the Ministry here today.Posted on: 2008-10-05 19:06:16 (Server Time)

http://ip-72-167-53-34.ip.secureserver.net/kolnews.php?&nid=163082