Mustang. The risk of accidents has increased at the Kagbeni bathing place located in Baragung Mukti Kshetra-4 of Mustang, a holy religious place famous for the work of deceased ancestors. The bathing place built for pilgrims is risky, which has increased the fear of possible accidents among devotees who come here to perform Shraddha.
Although the Kagbeni Temple and Shraddha Place Management Committee and the locals have tried to manage the pilgrims who come to perform Shraddha with limited resources for the protection and management of the Kagbeni Shraddha Place, it is not enough.
Devotees say that since the Shraddha Place is narrow, it is difficult and challenging to perform Shraddha, worship and bath. The flood that occurred in Kagkhola on 28th Shrawan 2080 BS had damaged the existing physical infrastructure. The flood caused material damage worth crores of rupees to the houses of the locals, banks and financial institutions, Kagbeni Shraddhasthal, and cultivable land.
At the initiative of the locals of the district, concerned bodies, and the Kagbeni Temple and Shraddhasthal Management Committee, efforts were made to control the Kagkhola flow by collecting funds, said Laxmi Gurung, chairperson of the committee. According to him, even though the flow of the Kagkhola has been controlled, the physical infrastructure of the shrine is not being managed sustainably.
Meanwhile, 53-year-old Sita Sharma of Beni Municipality-9, Myagdi, who had come here to perform Shraddha on Saturday, was swept away by the Kaligandaki River. While bathing at the confluence of the Kagkhola and Kaligandaki rivers, she suddenly slipped and was swept away by the river about 60 meters below.
After slipping and being swept away by the river, another person who went to rescue her was also swept away by the Kaligandaki River a little further down and was safely rescued by the Nepal Army. Information Officer and Police Inspector of the District Police Office, Vishal Adhikari, informed that Sharma was rescued safely after being swept away by the river while bathing in Kagbeni.
Committee Chairperson Gurung lamented that the three-tier government is not showing interest in the protection and management of the shrine here. She stressed that the three-tier government should coordinate and support in the protection and effective management of the flood-damaged area in Kagbeni by repairing and reconstructing it.
‘So far, we have been carrying out temporary management and protection at the local level with the help of the committee and locals. Since we have limited resources, long-term protection and management is not possible,’ Chairperson Gurung said. ‘The government should come up with a long-term solution for the protection and management of the Kagbeni shrine. Since millions of devotees come here, it is necessary to make this area risk-free.’
Chairperson Gurung said that the committee has temporarily constructed a Shraddha shrine and a bathing place with the donations and support received from devotees. She emphasized that a large-scale RCC embankment is needed on the Kaligandaki River and Kagkhola to make the Shraddha shrine reliable in the long term and further manage it.
The committee stated that the physical structure of the Shraddha shrine and bathing place here has been damaged when the Kagkhola and Kaligandaki change their course during the rainy season every year. Meanwhile, the committee has been urging devotees coming to Kagbeni Dham to take precautions while bathing and performing Shraddha.
Committee Chairperson Gurung informed that more than a dozen commercial temporary tents set up by the committee to make Kagbeni Dham a little wider and more comfortable have been shifted to a different location. According to her, the Nepali Army has built a changing room and the rural municipality has built toilets.
Chairperson Gurung said that the government has not yet allocated a budget for the conservation and management of Kagbeni Dham. Every year, lakhs of devotees come to Kagbeni to bathe during the Aunsi of Bada Dashain and Chaite Dashain. “Even as this year’s Chaite Dashain Aunsi approaches, the government at all three levels has not been able to manage this area, so we have to take risks and perform Shraddha and bathe,” she said.
There is a religious legend that Kagbhusunde Rishi performed penance in Tilicho Lake and bathed in Kagkhola in Baragu Mukti Kshetra-4. This is why millions of devotees from all over the country come here every year to perform Shraddha in the name of their ancestors, offer tarpan, and bathe in the Kaligandaki Dobhan, believing that the deceased ancestors will be happy and bless them.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्