Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath is one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the world, a massive white dome some 36 metres high topped by a gilded tower bearing the same all-seeing eyes as Swayambhunath. It sits at the centre of its own neighbourhood — Boudha — about 6 km east of the city centre, ringed by Tibetan monasteries, shops selling butter lamps and prayer flags, and a circumambulation path (kora) that locals walk in the early morning and evening.

The kora at Boudhanath is one of the most meditative experiences Kathmandu offers — join the clockwise circuit in the early morning, when monks and laypeople spin prayer wheels and the incense smoke from the stupa rises in the cool air. The surrounding cafes and rooftop restaurants give good views over the stupa and are good places to eat after a morning walk. The stupa sustained significant damage in the 2015 earthquake and has since been rebuilt.

things to do sight temple boudha
A story
Boudhanath was built in the 14th century according to one tradition, or as early as the 5th century by other accounts. Following the Chinese annexation of Tibet in 1959, thousands of Tibetan refugees settled in the Boudha neighbourhood, transforming it into the largest Tibetan community outside Tibet itself. The dozens of monasteries (gompas) that ring the stupa were mostly built by these refugees; today Boudha is the most important centre of Tibetan Buddhism outside the Tibetan plateau.

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