Divine home for Ganesh, Bhairav in the offing

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Feb.1: An agreement has been reached between the officials of the partner offices to build a residence for the living gods Ganesh and Bhairav on the site of the former Tribhuvan University building and the Nava Adarsh Secondary School in the south of Basantapur Dawali.

A meeting chaired by the Acting Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Sunita Dangol, decided to move forward with the process related to land acquisition and tenure.

Saroj Guragain, Chief Administrative Officer of the KMC, Ashaman Sangat, Coordinator of the Heritage and Tourism Committee, Macharaja Maharjan, Chairperson of Ward No. 23, and Coordinator of the Legislative Committee, Deepak Aryal, Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University; Shailesh Kunwar, Member Secretary of Guthi Sansthan, Suman Narsingh Malla, Battalion Chief of Sharduljung Gulma, Ganapati Lal Shrestha, heritage activist and other stakeholders participated in the meeting.

Acting Mayor Dangol said that bringing the land under the jurisdiction of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and making it the abode of the living deities Ganesh and Bhairav will enhance the identity and dignity of Kathmandu. 

“We have demolished the building that was at risk of collapse due to the 2015 earthquake, making the area safe. This will be the residence of Lord Ganesha and Lord Bhairav, who will be brought out during the Indra Jatra festival, similar to the living goddess Kumari. A mechanism should be created in which Tribhuvan University, Guthi Sansthan, the Department of Archaeology, security agencies, local communities, and trustees all have a stake in it,” she said.

Deepak Aryal, Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, said that the issue of providing land will be taken up for decision-making. “We will take a decision on this matter through the Tribhuvan University Executive Council,” he added.

In accordance with the provisions of the Procedure for Registration, Utilisation, and Lease of Government Land, 2079 BS, a committee was formed under the coordination of the Deputy Mayor to bring the land and buildings under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Municipality.

The 13th executive meeting of the Metropolitan City had formed a committee coordinated by Dangol, Ashaman Sangat (Ward Chairperson of Ward No. 8), and Macharaja Maharjan (Ward Chairperson of Ward No. 23).

As per the provisions of the working procedure, if land registered in the name of a government agency is required by another government agency, the Ministry may grant approval to the requesting agency based on recommendations from the central body of the requesting agency, the central body of the registered agency, and the recommendation committee.

Following this procedure, the committee sent a letter to the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University on August 29, 2023 (Bhadra 12, 2080), requesting the formation of a central committee on behalf of the registrants and creating an environment for a joint meeting.

Based on this letter, a joint meeting was held between officials from both sides on September 13, 2023.

A dilapidated building was located at this site. The Metropolitan City decided to demolish it, as it could have collapsed at any time, posing a risk to life and property.

The building was situated in Ward No. 23, Seat No. 102-1104-12, Plot No. 348, covering an area of 4 annas, 1 paisa, and 2 daam.