GMC Governor says gold-gilding work on the Shivalaya Mandir will be redone to meet His Majesty the King’s expectations, with real gold used instead of gold-like materials
TIL BDR GHALLEY | Gelephu
The gold gilding work on the Shivalaya Yagyaswar Mahadev Mandir in Gelephu has been put on hold and will be redone to a higher standard after the initial work fell short of His Majesty the King’s expectations.
Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) Governor Dasho Dr Lotay Tshering said the decision was taken to ensure that the finished temple reflects His Majesty’s vision, clarifying that the project has not been cancelled but will be carried out differently.
“We felt short of His Majesty’s expectations on that, so we have to redo it,” he said.
The Governor said the initial work did not meet the standard His Majesty had envisioned and that the committee would undertake the work again to achieve the desired outcome.
He said His Majesty had made it clear that the temple should be adorned with genuine gold, rather than materials that merely resemble gold.
“His Majesty very lightly said, ‘I told you to build it in gold, not gold-like. It should not be gold-looking; it should be gold,'” Dasho Lotay Tshering said.
He said the pause would allow the committee to reconsider the approach and deliver a substantially different result.
“The output will be totally different from what it looks like right now,” he said.
The project was announced on September 11, with the initial plan to gild the temple’s Nagara-style spire, outer structures and sacred elements.
The Shivalaya Yagyaswar Mahadev Mandir, located near Gelephu town along the Shetikhari River, was inaugurated and consecrated on July 25, 2018, as a Royal gift from His Majesty to the Hindu community of Sarpang.
The temple has since become an important spiritual centre for the Hindu community, hosting the annual month-long Bolbam festival, during which devotees walk barefoot to the Mao River to collect water for offering to Lord Shiva.
The gold-gilding initiative also received contributions from the public, reflecting the community’s involvement in the project.
As of October 31, the project had received Nu.21.01 million in contributions from 2,817 contributors, alongside 18.346 grammes of gold. International contributions amounted to USD 466 and INR 162,001, according to the project figures.
An official from the gold gilding project said the contribution is still open and the latest data will be updated on the official website.
The original plan was to complete the gilding before November 1, coinciding with the raising of 108 Jangchub Chortens along the Mao River as part of Gelephu Mindfulness City’s spiritual initiatives.
However, with the gilding work now on hold for a revised approach, the original completion timeline is no longer certain.
The Governor said the committee would redo the work to ensure that the final outcome is in keeping with the standard and vision His Majesty expects for the project.
Gold holds deep religious significance in Hinduism, symbolising purity, divinity and devotion. Its use in temples represents an offering of something precious to the deity and reflects the sacredness of the place of worship. The gilding of the Shivalaya Yagyaswar Mahadev Mandir is intended to enhance its spiritual and architectural significance for the Hindu community.
His Majesty envisioned the mandir as one of the finest of its kind in the world and commanded that it be adorned, both inside and outside, with the finest gold available. The initiative builds on the temple’s significance as a Royal gift to the Hindu community in 2018. Through the current transformation, the public has also been allowed to participate by contributing gold and money towards the project, making it a collective offering.
