Boudhanath
One Of The Largest Stupas In The World And A Centre Of Tibetan Buddhism; One Of Seven Monument Zones Of The Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site · Kathmandu, Bagmati
Boudhanath is one of the largest stupas in the world, a vast white dome topped by a gilded tower painted with the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha, rising over a circular plaza on the eastern edge of Kathmandu. It has been a place of pilgrimage for many centuries, on the old trade route to Tibet, and since the 1950s and 1960s it has become the heart of the Tibetan community in Nepal, ringed by monasteries, shops of prayer wheels and butter lamps, and rooftop cafes. Every morning and evening, pilgrims, monks and local families walk the kora, the clockwise circuit around the stupa, spinning prayer wheels and murmuring mantras, and joining them is the best way to experience it. The dome was badly damaged in the 2015 earthquake and was rebuilt within about a year and a half, funded largely by donations from Buddhists. Losar, the Tibetan New Year, fills the plaza with celebration. Boudhanath is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site, and at dusk, with butter lamps lit and prayer flags against the sky, it is one of the most atmospheric places in Asia.
Boudha, eastern Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal
The plaza is open at all times; foreigners pay an entry fee at the gates, collected by day, and the ticket may be checked again. Monasteries around the stupa keep their own hours, often with halls open for morning and evening prayers and sometimes closed over lunch. The kora is busiest at dawn and dusk. Boudhanath is about half an hour by taxi from central Kathmandu, depending on traffic, and under half an hour's walk from Pashupatinath.