By Gautam Shrestha, immediate past president (2022-23) of the Rotary Club of Yala, Nepal
Kathmandu Valley is renowned for its rich cultural and historical heritage. It’s home to numerous World Heritage Sites, and many visitors are attracted to the temples, squares, and stupas that reflect ancient and diverse cultural traditions. Local people come to the temples to pray or visit as part of their morning walks. Older residents meet up to have a friendly chat or sing devotional songs called bhajan. The temples are a place of community, prayer, and reflection where people of all ages come together.
Recently, members of our club became aware of a troubling problem at some of these sites. Their beauty was being marred by a buildup of dust and debris. People arrive carrying plastic bags, but in their devotion to worship, they fail to keep the temple area clean or dispose of the trash they generate. There’s also a practice of disposing of plastic and paper waste materials by burning them in the temple area.
After talking about it in our club and hearing from others in the community, we decided to take action. We mounted our first effort, which we called “Chandeswori Temple Cleaning,” in Pimbahal, Lalitpur. We gathered about 55 volunteers from the Rotaract and Interact clubs of Yala, the Chandeswori Women’s Group, and the Yala Heritage Group. The volunteers spent the day picking up trash, debris, organic matter, and worn-out religious offerings in the temple area. We also cleaned floors, dusted, and performed various other surface cleanings.
The positive feedback we received was remarkable. The people who live in the area were happy with our project, and we were happy to see the community come together. We began to see members of the community taking the initiative to clean the temple on a weekly basis. This inspired us to expand our project and commit to cleaning a different temple every three to four months. I called it the “Temple Run” project, because we are regularly moving from one temple to another.
This approach not only allowed us to contribute consistently, but also encouraged local members of the community to actively participate in the regular cleaning of various temples.
We’ve been able to clean six locations – both Hindu and Buddhist – including Banglamukhi Temple, Mahalaxmisthan Temple, the Machindranath Chariot Area, Karyabinayak Temple, and Sunakoti.
Volunteers from our club, which numbers about 50 members, are joined by many others on our cleaning visits: spouses, Interactors, local community groups, students, and about a dozen members of Rotaract.
We’re leading by example, encouraging individuals and communities to engage in social responsibility by taking care of the shared spaces that hold cultural and religious significance. Our project aligns with Rotary’s values of service and community engagement. The results may potentially have far-reaching positive impacts on health, culture, and the environment.
We look forward to continuing to foster a sense of community while helping to maintain the sanctity of these revered places, drawing attention to how Rotary unites neighbors, friends, and leaders to volunteer their skills and resources to solve issues and address community needs.
https://blog.rotary.org/2023/12/07/temple-run-gives-sacred-sites-a-clean-sweep/