The Balgopaleshwor temple, which used to open for the public only on the day of Bhai Tika during the Tihar festival, will remain closed this year as well.

The temple, in the middle of the Rani Pokhari, was damaged in the April 25, 2015 earthquake. The temple will not be opened for the third year since the earthquake. 

The temple used to be open once a year on the day of Bhai Tika before the earthquake. Those who do not have brothers or sisters offer prayers at the temple. 

Before the temple was destroyed by the quake, over 3,000 people used to visit the temple on the day of Bhai Tika, according to Gyanendra Karki, spokesperson for the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), which manages the historic structure. 

“The temple construction is yet to be completed, hence it will remain closed during Bhai Tika this year as well,” said Karki.

According to officials at the KMC, the statue of Balgopaleshwor, one of the manifestations of the lord Shiva, has been kept in the National Chhauni Museum since the earthquake.The temple construction was supposed to be completed a year ago, but rebuilding works had to be halted following controversy over the use of construction materials, with culture experts and even the UN culture agency expressing its concern about use of cement and concrete to build the structure of historic and religious significance. 

The temple construction responsibility then was handed over to the Department of Archaeology in October last year.The temple was built by king Pratap Malla in 1970.