ANI(Kathmandu):  A committee formed by the Nepal government, to investigate the assets owned by Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu on Wednesday, made public data that states that the shrine owns 276 kg of gold and 1.3 billion rupees in cash, a report revealed.

This is the first time in history that the data was made public by a committee formed by the government to investigate the assets owned by the shrine. The committee had carried out a study and survey on the basis of prevailing data of over a period of 10 months.

After analysing the record from the Financial Department of Pashupati Area Development Trusts’ (PADT), the committee found out that a total of 1.3 billion rupees had been deposited in banks.

Built in the fifth century, the shrine is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Lord Shiva.

The lands, rest houses and sattals of the temple fall under the unmovable properties of the temple. Three offices falling under PADT, covered 994.14 hectares land of the shrine.

Apart from it, the record of utensils in “Bombe Treasury” owned by temple and property of various Guthis that is part of the temple property is yet to be surveyed.

However, the committee did not count the gold, silvers, currencies, ornaments and other pieces of jewellery offered to the temple that is kept in the main treasury of the temple.