Ahh, Bodhnath. This Buddhist stupa is perhaps my new favorite spot in Kathmandu. I will remember this enormous circular plaza as a rainbow of radiant colors. When we arrived to Bodhnath on Sunday afternoon, the sky was a cloudless, crisp blue, enhancing the multicolored stupa even more. The bright white dome of the stupa was set like an overturned rice bowl in the center of the plaza. Above it, the thirteen golden layers of the stupa extended skyward. Rainbow colored prayer flags stretched out in all directions from the top of the golden spire, adding to the festive feel. All around the base, pilgrims circulated beneath the eyes of the Buddha, spinning the prayer wheels as they went along. All sorts of shops lined the circle, offering everything from postcards and souvenirs to butter lamps, ceremonial horns, and singing meditation bowls.
The village of Boudha is considered “Little Tibet” here in Kathmandu. The area is inhabited mainly by Tibetan refugees who fled their country in 1959, when the Chinese took over. The dress and look of the Tibetan people is unique, even to a Westerner.
While we were exploring the plaza, we witnessed some sort of Nepali newscast featuring what I can only assume were local beauty queens. I guess that sort of thing is universal—everyone loves a pretty face.
After circumnavigating the stupa, stopping to play with the pigeons and shop, we were able to climb up to the base of the whitewashed dome for a great view of the plaza below and the stupa above. There’s nothing quite like those big Buddha eyes watching you from all directions. This is a place I hope to visit again before it’s time to go.
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