Kathmandu, March 5 -- Religious hymns blasted off from loudspeakers and reverberated around the Pashupati area as pilgrims celebrated Maha Shivaratri on Monday. Anyone who entered the big open space in Bankali inside the premise of Pashupatinath was welcomed by volunteers, and given prasad in honour of Shiva. Sadhus were seen smoking from chillums. And prayers were being chanted. Celebrations were in full swing. But the one thing that disappointed was the huge pile of unmanaged trash and leftover food on the ground.

"We called the Pashupati Area Development Trust over half a dozen times, but nobody has come to pick up the trash," said Ashok Nath, from Haryana, North India, who has been offering Bhandara (free vegetarian meals that includ...