The famous Shakti Peetha Pathibhara temple in Taplejung is in dan’ger after the fi’re br’oke out again. Narayan Thapa, vice-chairman of the Pathibhara Devi Temple Area Preservation and Promotion Committee, said that the oldest tree near the temple is burning and preparations are being made to throw away the flags and ropes hung in the temple to save the temple.
According to him, the fir’e had started from the garbage management center just below the temple. Thapa informed that efforts are being made to protect the temple area through the priests and staffs of the Pathibhara temple. The smoke from the forest fi’re in the temple area can be seen directly from the district headquarters Phungling. Rajendra Mahat, an employee of the Pathibhara temple, said that the first attempt was being made to save the temple site and the houses and pavilions built in the temple area. It is said that the fir’e reached near the control on Sunday evening and the wind speed on Monday morning increased towards the temple.
A team from the Pathibhara Area Development Committee and the Pathibhara Devi Temple Area Conservation and Promotion Committee have gone to the area to control the fi’re. The fir’e that started in the Simbu community forest area of Fawakhola of Phungling Municipality Ward No. 11 on Thursday went out of control and reached near the temple. Phungling Municipal Deputy Chief Bam Bahadur Bhattarai said that the fi’re had reached the eastern part of the temple and that there was no possibility of controlling it due to humanitarian efforts.