Nepal quake takes heavy toll of Hindu temples

Kathmandu, April 26 , 2015: The devastating earthquake in Nepal has destroyed or badly damaged many Hindu temples both in the Kathmandu Valley and elsewhere. Saturday's 7.9 magnitude quake and aftershocks throughout the day destroyed around 80 percent of the temples in Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu, the Kantipur News reported on Sunday. These include the Kasthamandap temple, the Panchtale temple, the Dasa Avtar temple and the Krishna temple. Kasthamandap, which inspired the name Kathmandu, is an early 16th century wooden monument. Eighty percent of Nepal's nearly 29 million people are Hindus. Buddhists account for 10 percent and Muslims four percent. Siobhan Heanue, a reporter with ABC News Australia, told CNN that she was wandering at an ancient temple complex in Kathmandu when the earthquake struck. Several temples collapsed around her. Scores of centuries-old historical monuments, including the iconic Dharahara tower here, were reduced to rubble in the powerful tremblor that claimed more than 2,000 lives. A few monuments, including the Kumari temple and the Taleju Bhawani, have partially collapsed, the Kantipur daily said.