Where We Be
| Be careful, Big Bhudda is watching you! |
| This is the focal point of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. Bodhnath is sometimes called the "Little Tibet" of Nepal. |
| These two colorful statues welcome you at the second tier of the stupa, the highest the general public can climb |
| At a rooftop restaurant overlooking the stupa |
| After lunch we visited this beautiful Tibetan monastery -- called the Guru Lhakhang Gompa -- located along the stupa's outer perimeter |
| These are the elaborate main doors on the upper balcony of the monastery |
| Hundreds of additional butter lamps filled with oil wait to be lit by devotees |
| Rows of butter lamps stretch down a very long table |
| Buddha gave his first sermon at Deer Park in Sarnath, India -- these deer honor that sermon |
| This is the most famous stupa in the world. You get a sense of its size when you look at the buildings around it. |
| This dragon adorns one of the Tibetan monasteries near the stupa |
| We passed hundreds of lit butter lamps as we circled the lower tier of the stupa |
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| Bodhnath, Nepal |
We liked Bodhnath straight off. It's an easy site
to visit, being centered on a single enormous
stupa around which everything and everybody
circles. A stupa is a kind of Buddhist temple
that looks like a white inverted pot with a gold
tower rising up from the middle, with the eyes
of Buddha painted on the four sides of the
tower. The stupa is the absolute centerpiece of
Bodhnath and without a doubt one of the most
famous in the world. Monks and tourists alike
circle it clockwise. Artisan shops, restaurants,
and monasteries line the outer edges of the
circular path, while hundreds of spinnable
prayer wheels line the path's inner perimeter.
Passing inside the gate, we made the circuit
three times around the stupa's lower level for
good luck, past endless rows of butter lamps,
burning candles, and people praying, chanting,
or meditating. Climbing steps up to the second
tier, we made the same circuit again for
close-up views of Buddha's mesmerizing eyes.
to visit, being centered on a single enormous
stupa around which everything and everybody
circles. A stupa is a kind of Buddhist temple
that looks like a white inverted pot with a gold
tower rising up from the middle, with the eyes
of Buddha painted on the four sides of the
tower. The stupa is the absolute centerpiece of
Bodhnath and without a doubt one of the most
famous in the world. Monks and tourists alike
circle it clockwise. Artisan shops, restaurants,
and monasteries line the outer edges of the
circular path, while hundreds of spinnable
prayer wheels line the path's inner perimeter.
Passing inside the gate, we made the circuit
three times around the stupa's lower level for
good luck, past endless rows of butter lamps,
burning candles, and people praying, chanting,
or meditating. Climbing steps up to the second
tier, we made the same circuit again for
close-up views of Buddha's mesmerizing eyes.
| If Robin wants to join the order, she'll have to shave her head first! |