A quiet has fallen over the ashram built b y the government. PL Singh, a Nepali Congress leader who stayed with Kishunji for around 60 years, said the ashram has been virtually silent. [break]
"When he was alive, nobody dared to come except on special occasions. The crowd was seen only when he died, but the ashram is quiet again. This really makes sad," he said.
Bhattarai´s aide Amita Kapali also said the crowd was only seen in the ashram following his death.
Silence returned in the ashram soon after his final rites, she said.
The empty car that Kishunji used to ride is parked near the main gate and the guest room and the library look abandoned now.
Nobody lives there except family members of Kapali.
Security personnel who are guarding the ashram say even a few well wishers, who used to come to meet Bhattarai before his death, left visiting the ashram.
Kishunji´s nephew Pramod Bhattarai is observing the 12-day mourning ritual at the guest building of the ashram.
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