Kathmandu, Sept. 22 -- In February 2016, Shobha Sunuwar lost her brother Nawaraj in a car accident. Sunuwar wanted to bury her brother with full funeral rites but as burials had been banned in the area close to the Pashupatinath temple, Nawaraj's body was cremated in an electric crematorium.

"I have heard that if you pay Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 as a bribe, there are people who'll bury bodies in the Shleshmantak forest," said Sunuwar. "But who wants to get entangled in such a mess?"

According to the 39-year-old social worker, it is unfair that they have to compromise on their beliefs. It's been more than three years since she lost her brother but her heart continues to ache as her "brother's soul will never be at peace".

"If he were buried...