Statue of Kanakmuni Buddha awaits conservation

By Narad Kohar,Taulihawa (Kapilvastu), Apr.1: A garden built with a statue of Kanakmuni Buddha near Aarurakot in Kapilvastu district is awaiting conservation.

The then Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, Shankar Pokharel, inaugurated the garden including the statue of Kanakmuni Buddha on July 10, 2021. 

However, the garden has been lying neglected since then. The statue stands about one and a half kilometres east of Nigalikot, the birthplace of Kanakmuni Buddha.

Emperor Ashok, who came to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, on a pilgrimage, also visited Niglihawa.  Emperor Ashok had erected pillars in Lumbini and Kapilvastu to mark his visit.

The pillars are known by Buddhist followers all over the world as Ashoka Pillars. But the ancient cities ruled by the Buddhas before Gautam Buddha have been under shadow due to the lack of publicity and protection. 

The statue of Kanakmuni Buddha with the garden was constructed at a cost of over Rs. 9 million with the support of the Division Forest Office and the Lumbini Provincial Government. 

Budhai Yadav, a local, said that it was a good thing to build a statue, but no one has taken responsibility for its conservation.

The statue was erected spending thousands of rupees but the road to reach it is still poor, he said. 

Yadav said, "Had the budget been spent on the excavation and exploration of Aarurakot, some meaningful works would have been noticed. Aaraurakot, the place where Kanakmuni Buddha had spent his childhood and marital life, is lacking conservation.” 

Ram Gopal, Chairman of Ward No. 11 of Kapilvastu Municipality, said that the ward office has no budget enough for the excavation, and the federal, provincial and Lumbini Development Trust should pay special attention to it. 

According to Madhav Prasad Acharya, Chief of the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) Kapilvastu office, the garden with the statue is owned by the Division Forest Office and the LDT cannot do anything for its development. He said that building gardens and statues alone was not enough, they should also be preserved.

Bijay Raj Subedi, Chief of the Division Forest Office Kapilvastu, said that the construction of the garden with a Buddha statue was left in limbo.

He said that with the change in the leadership of the Lumbini Provincial Government, problems arose in the division of ministries. 

According to him, the Ministries of Forest, Environment, Tourism and Drinking Water are collaborating with the Lumbini Provincial Government for the development of the area. 

Subedi said that the role of the local level should also be equally important in preserving and developing the garden.