Kathmandu, Jan. 27 -- The parking lot at Bankali in the Pashupati area is a mess. When the Post visited the site a week ago, plastic wrappers, vegetable peels, half-eaten food, and disposable plates and bottles lay strewn across the ground. The food waste drew stray dogs and birds.

The parking lot, located a short distance from the revered Pashupatinath temple complex in Kathmandu, appears more like an "informal campsite" than a regulated facility inside a World Heritage Site, said Prabin Khadka (name changed at request), a regular visitor to the area.

Every day, the Pashupatinath temple teems with thousands of pilgrims arriving from across South Asia. The steady flow of pilgrims puts constant pressure on surrounding infrastructure, par...