०१ · Stupa
Boudhanath
The great white dome of the Kathmandu Valley, and the centre of Tibetan Buddhist life in Nepal.
Kathmandu
Where
About 6 km east of Thamel
Altitude
1,330 m
Best time
Dusk, any month. Losar in Feb or Mar
Time needed
Half a day
Status
UNESCO World Heritage, 1979
Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
The story
Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world. A white dome rises from three square terraces, and from its golden spire the eyes of the Buddha look out in all four directions. Prayer flags run from the top to the edges of the square, and every few hours someone climbs up to add more.
The stupa sat on the old trade road between Lhasa and Kathmandu, and merchants stopped here to pray for a safe crossing of the Himalaya. After 1959 thousands of Tibetan refugees settled around it, and more than fifty monasteries now ring the square.
The 2015 earthquake cracked the spire. It was taken down and rebuilt by the community, mostly with donations, and the stupa reopened in November 2016 with its gold freshly applied.
What to see and do.
- ०१
The kora at dusk
Join the walk around the stupa, always clockwise, as monks, grandmothers and shopkeepers turn the prayer wheels set into the base.
- ०२
The upper terraces
Climb onto the terraces for the dome up close and the square below. Remove your shoes where signs ask you to.
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The monasteries
Several gompas around the square welcome visitors to the morning and evening pujas. Sit at the back and stay quiet.
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Rooftop tea
The cafés around the square have roof terraces level with the eyes. Butter tea or masala tea, and the lamps lit at night.
Adapted from a photograph by Anuja Sharma, CC BY-SA 4.0
Before you go
What to know.
Foreign visitors pay a small entry fee at the gates into the square.
Walk clockwise around the stupa and turn the wheels with your right hand.
Ask before photographing monks or people at prayer.
Next place
Bhaktapurभक्तपुर