Bodhnath Stupa

There doesn't seem to be much agreement on how old the Bodhnath Stupa is, but it is likely that the first stupa (chörten in Tibetan) was built some time after AD 600, after the Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, was converted to Buddhism by his two wives: the Nepali princess Bhrikuti and Wencheng Konjo from China. The stupa was said to have been built by a prince as penance for unwittingly killing his father.

The current stupa structure was probably built after the depredation of the Mughal invaders in the 14th century. Stupas were originally built to house holy relics. It is not certain if there is anything interred at Bodhnath, but some believe that there is a piece of bone that once belonged to the Buddha.

Around the base of the stupa's circular mound are 108 small images of the Dhyani Buddha Amitabha (108 is an auspicious number in Tibetan culture). A brick wall around the stupa has 147 niches, each with four or five prayer wheels bearing the mantra om mani padme hum. Access to the inner stupa is gained through the northern entrance, where there is a small shrine dedicated to Ajima, the goddess of smallpox. It's possible to walk up onto the upper layers of the stupa. Pilgrims find a private space in the inner lower enclosure and perform full-body prostrations. It's a powerful, evocative place that's brought alive by the Tibetan pilgrims who circumambulate the stupa, twirling their prayer wheels, chatting and murmuring prayers.