Taulihawa- The Kanak Muni Buddha statue garden in Kapilvastu, near Aarourakot, was once a beautiful sight to behold. The garden, which was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of Lumbini Province, Shankar Pokharel, featured a stunning statue of Buddha. However, today it lies in disarray because of neglect and lack of protection. The statue lies one-and-a-half kilometers east of Nigalikot, the birthplace of Kanak Buddha.
Emperor Ashoka, during his pilgrimage to Buddha’s sites, erected pillars in Lumbini and Kapilvastu, which are known as Ashoka pillars by Buddhist followers worldwide. However, the ancient cities ruled by the Buddhas before Gautama Buddha could not be protected, eclipsing their importance. So, the statue was built in the image of Buddha.
Local resident Sugriva Barai expressed his concerns over the lack of protection of the Buddha statue. He informed that although the statue cost a lot of money to build, the road to reach it is in disrepair. According to Kapilvastu Municipality Ward No. 11 Chairman Ram Gopal Yadav, since the local government does not have enough budget for its maintenance, the provincial government and Lumbini Development Trust should pay special attention to the protection of the statue and the garden.
The head of Lumbini Development Trust, Kapilvastu, Madhav Prasad Acharya, said they can’t develop the garden with the Buddha statue because it is owned by the Forest Office. Vijayraj Subedi, Head of Division Forest Office, Kapilvastu mentioned that the project is currently stalled due to divisions of the ministry along with the changes in the government in Lumbini province. According to Subedi, the statue was built when there was a Ministry of Tourism and Forestry. But now, the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Tourism have been divided, and the budget has stopped coming to the Forestry Office. TRN
