Stupa-Bodhnath

After 5.5 hours of driving in the beautiful mountains, we arrrived back to Lakeside Pokhara. Here, we rested and relaxed, getting ready to go back to Kathmandu the next day. The next day we left for Kathmandu around 3:00 p.m., after running some errands. It is a short 45-minute flight from Pokhara to Kathmandu.

We met a lovely young couple in the Airport and spend the wait time visiting with them and learning about their experiences in Nepal. As we had booked a Hotel room prior to leaving Kathmandu, we were able to go directly to it.

The next day, April 16th, we made arrangements to explore some towns in the Kathmandu Valley for the next couple of days.


exploring Kathmandu Valley-first stop Bouddhanath

We then proceeded to to Bodhnath and joined the pilgrims on the parikkrama (clockwise circuit) around the enormous Bodhnath Stupa.



Bodhnath


The first stupa (bell=shaped Buddhist religious structure, originally designed to hold the relics of the Buddha) was built sometime after AD 600, when the Tibetan king, Sogntsen Gampo, converted to Buddhism. According to legend, the king constructed the stupa as an act of penance after unwittingly killing his father. Unfortunately, the first stupa was wrecked by Mughal invaders in the 14th century, so the current stupa is a more recent construction.



monk working on a stupa



locals playing crocinole Nepalese style

In terms of grace and purity of line, no other stupa in Nepal comes close to Bodhnath. From its whitewashed dome to its gilded toes painted with the eyes of the Buddha, the monument is perfectly proportioned and every part of the stupa has a specific religious significance.

There are many complicated rules governing the layout of the Buddhist stupas. Each part of a stupa has a specific significance, creating a three-dimensional representation of important elements of Buddhist philosophy to remind devotees of the path towards enlightenment. The key features of the stupa are:
- the Plinth, the lower level representing the earth;
- the four sides or four terraces represent the four states of mindefulness and four immeasurables -- love, compassion, joy and equanimity

The Kumbha, above the plinth is a hemispherical dome, resembling an upturned pot of rice. The dome symbolizes water and is freshly whitewashed each year and decorated with a pattern of yellow paint to represent lotus petals. The Harmike, above the dome is a square tower, symbolizing fire, ususally painted on each side with the eyes of the Buddha. The Spire, toping the Harmika is a tapering spire, representing
the air.

The 13 levels of the tower represent the 13 states that a human being must pass through to achieve nirvana. The umbrella, at the very top of the stupa is a protective umbrella that symboizes the void beyond space.

At this time of year April/May, which celebrates the birth of the Buddha, there were many pilgrams and Buddists visiting the Stupa. It is truly educational to follow some of the devotees as they circled the stupa and made the prayer wheels spin as they chanted their prayers, while Tibetan music were being played by the Monks.