The irate locals at the Pashupati Temple have protested the demolition of one of the four Shivalayas at the Agnihotri Yagyashala of Bankali on the Pashupat Temple premises.

The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) demolished the Shivalaya so as to construct a building for mourners.

Chairperson of Buddha Air, Surendra Bahadur Basnet, is learnt to have donated Rs 10.5 million for the construction of the building as a part of the company's corporate social responsibility.

Locals have also blamed the PADT that it has encroached upon the centuries-old structure of archaeological significance by bringing it down on Saturday without any consultation with the Department of Archaeology (DoA) and without affidavit.

A local Jaladaraj Baidya shared that the Trust dismantled the Shivalaya on Saturday. "We will file a complaint against it at the CIAA and Department of Archaeology," said Baidya, questioning, "Where are the idols inside the temple and the riches beneath the land the idol was erected?"

According to him, the details recorded by the PADT showed the Shivalaya has only one Bhairava's idol.

Similarly, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No 8 Chairperson Dinesh Dangol said that he too came to know about the demolition of the Shivalaya.

He informed the National News Agency (RSS) that the PADT, on Sunday, decided to rebuild the temple since the locals and people's representatives have protested its move to set up the building for mourners.

PADT's Executive Director Ramesh Kumar Uprety claimed that the dilapidated building was demolished after the demand to construct a building for mourners.

He assured that there were no valuables of archaeological significance inside the temple. "It did not have any idols nor did it have any riches. Rather it was a house to piles of logs stocked belonging to Agnihotrishala."

No police report was made on the demolishment of the Shivalaya, according to the Deputy Superintendent of Police Navaraj Karki at the Metropolitan Police Range, Gaushala.

RSS made several attempts to reach archaeologist Devendra Bhattarai and the Spokesperson at the DoA, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, who went to the demolished site for on-site visit but they refused to give a clear answer to the questions relating to the demolition. RSS