Bajraguru Stupa languishing for 16 years

By Chitra Mijar,Sindhupalchowk, Dec. 6: The Bajraguru Stupa in Barhabise Municipality-4 has been under construction for 16 years. But it has still not been completed. Yet, locals say that the authorities are not interested in expediting work.

Construction of the stupa began in 2007 under the leadership of Ganesh Moktan, a social activist of Barhabise-4. The foundation was constructed, but no further work was carried out. 

According to Moktan, completing the stupa requires around Rs. 20 million in today's money. "We need to install a pinnacle and use Panchadhatu (five sacred metals) on the stupa," he explained what they needed the money for. "We also need to build toilets and construct gabion walls on the cliff faces."

He requested the local government, the government of Bagmati Province and the federal government to allocate the required budget and help move the work forward. He and his team have also approached various non-government organisations.

Barhabise is a Buddhist-majority area and the Bajraguru Stupa is one of the only Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the area. If the stupa was completed, hundreds of pilgrims would no longer have to travel to Kathmandu and other districts to pray, Moktan shared.

Work on the stupa began in 2007 with Rs. 50,000 provided by the then Barhabise Village Development Committee, the Rajguru of Thailand and various organisations and institutions. The stupa was planned to have a circumference of 40 feet.

But work stopped soon after due to insufficient funds. It resumed in 2017 when the newly elected leaders of the Barhabise Municipality provided Rs. 1.5 million. But the fiscal crunch has stalled work once again.