Little Priest at Pasupati, Kathmandu



Mahabaleshwara Bairy, who served as Pradhan Archak (chief priest) of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, has confirmed that three priests, including him, had quit their jobs there.

Speaking to The Hindu over telephone from Kathmandu on Saturday, Mr. Bairy said he quit on September 25, 2008, as he was “suffering from acute backache” and the doctor had advised him to take it easy.

His resignation was accepted on December 28. Mr. Bairy, who served the temple for 16 years, said: “I hail from Belve village in Kundapura taluk of Udupi district. My parents are getting old; I have to look after them.”A controversy has been brewing at the shrine, which culminated in the Maoists replacing the Indian priests with a local man, Bishnu Prasad Dahal, who, they said, was taking the place of Mr. Bairy.

Apart from Mr. Bairy and two other priests mentioned above, there are two others from coastal Karnataka at the temple, one of whom is Krishna Bhat from Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district. Another priest is K.P. Ramachandra Bhat of Hebri village in Udupi district, but it could not be confirmed if both had resigned.