Bauddhanath Stupa

Boudhanath Stupa is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Nepal. It is believed that the stupa is the entomb of Kassapa Buddha and it is the largest stupas in the world. It used to be the ancient trade route for the people of Tibet who come to Kathmandu valley. The stupa is believed to be built in the 14th century after the Mughal invasion. If you take a view of Boudhanath Stupa from above, then it seems to look like a huge mandala of Buddhist cosmos. The stupa itself is rich in Buddhist symbolism. It is referred to as Chorten Chenpo which means Great Stupa.

According to the Newar Buddhist mythology, the stupa was previously named as Khasti, later it was changed to Boudhanath in order to reflect Hinduism as being the Hindu nation. People from around the locality visit the Boudhanath Stupa every day. The stupa has its own meaning, the base denotes the earth, the dome denotes the water, the square temple denotes the fire, the spire denotes the air, and the umbrella denotes the ether (clear sky) beyond space. The final goal of Buddhism is to achieve nirvana which means a state of mind where there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self. So, the sire in the stupa represents the stage that human being should pass to achieve a nirvana.

Boudhanath Stupa is located in a city named Boudha which is about 11km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu. In order to reach Boudhanath, it takes about nearly 10 minutes by taxi and about 40 minutes by walking from the airport.  The stupa is also affected by the massive earthquake but it is already renovated and almost everyday people visit this place.