Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu, Bagmati Nepal

Boudhanath Stupa is seven km east of the downtown Kathmandu. It is Nepal’s most distinctive monuments. Simple, massive and powerful, it rises above the number of buildings, the painted eyes gazing solemnly over the countryside. Stupa are essential to Buddhism as the cross is to Christianity, a tangible symbol of the Buddha’s enlightened mind.

With a diameter exceeding 100 meters and a wall-to-wall length roughly equaling a football field, Boudha is among the largest stupa in the world- certainly the biggest in Nepal. The monument rises 36 metres above the street. The form and the alternated squares and circles represents a three-dimensional mandala, which is comprised of abstract religious concepts. Every portion has symbolic significance: the base, dome, square harmika, spire, and pinnacle represent the five elements; the 13 tiers of the spire stand for the stages to enlightenment, while the umbrella atop is the symbol of royalty.

Boudhanath is both an eye of calm within capital’s dusty pandemonium and a sanctuary of Tibetan Buddhist culture amid a nation dominated by Nepal HIndus. Throughout its narrow streets, you can see posters of smiling Dalai Lama, Tibetan folk-medicine stores, traditional artisans’ workshops, and restaurants serving everything from yak-cheese to Everest brand beer.