Ever wondered about Kailash replica at Kathmandu’s Tundikhel every Mahashivaratri? Here’s what it means

Since weeks before the annual Mahashivaratri festival, a large cutout of Lord Shiva has been installed on the top of a mud mound at the southeast corner of Tundikhel, an open space at the centre of Kathmandu. As the festival approaches, the mound gets decorated with green and white drapes, turning it into a replica of Mount Kailash .

But what is the significance of the gimmick that has been going on for a couple of years now? According to heritage activist and one of the faces behind the Occupy Tundikhel, Ganapati Lal Shrestha, there is none.