Boudhanath

The stupa of Boudhanath rises from the eastern edge of Kathmandu as a great white dome some 36 metres high, the largest spherical stupa in Nepal. Above the dome sits a square tower on whose four sides are painted the eyes of the Buddha, gazing calmly out in every direction; above them a gilded spire climbs to a parasol-crowned tip, and from it long strings of prayer flags fan out to the edges of the platform, snapping in colour against the white. Seen from the rooftops around the square, the whole thing reads as a vast mandala laid out on the ground.

Its age is a matter of tradition rather than record. Newar chronicles connect a stupa here with the 5th-century Licchavi king Manadeva, while Tibetan tradition tells of a woman named Samvari who built it with the wealth of her four sons; the king's words of consent, "let it be done" — jarung — and the phrase "slipped from the tongue" — khashor — gave the stupa its Tibetan name, Jarung Khashor. The present structure most likely dates from the 14th century. It stood on the old trade route between Tibet and the Kathmandu Valley, and merchants and pilgrims stopped here to pray for safe passage.

After 1959, many Tibetan refugees settled around the stupa, and Boudha became the heart of Tibetan Buddhist life in Nepal: more than 50 monasteries now stand in the surrounding streets. The atmosphere is at its best early in the morning and at dusk, when crowds of monks, elderly pilgrims and families walk the kora clockwise around the dome, spinning the prayer wheels set into its base and murmuring mantras,.

The stupa is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1979. The earthquake of 25 April 2015 cracked its spire badly; it was rebuilt with private donations — including more than 30 kg of gold for the spire — and was opened to worshippers again in November 2016.

Getting there

Boudhanath lies about 5 km east of central Kathmandu, an easy taxi ride from the city centre. Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) is less than 3 km away.