Natural Fire

Nepalese historians trace the construction of the Great Stupa to the early reign of Manadeva, who ruled Nepal in the fifth century CE. According to legend, Boudhanath Stupa was built by the widow Jadzimo who asked the King for land to construct a shrine to the Buddha. The king agreed, and offered her as much land as she could cover with the skin of a water buffalo. The woman proceeded to cut a buffalo hide into thin strips, and placed them end to end to form a huge circumference. The king realized that he had been tricked by the old woman, but he adhered to his word, and the stupa was constructed over a period of seven years by the woman and her four sons according to these dimensions.

This stupa is the largest Buddhist structure in Nepal, and has been an important pilgrimage site since its construction. On their way north out of the Valley, caravans of salt traders, monks, lamas and others made an obligatory stop here to perform protection and prosperity rituals. Nowadays pilgrims can be seen circumambulating the structure chanting mantras from early morning hours until nightfall. The Great Stupa is especially magical at night when thousands of butter lamps twinkle in the gentle evening breeze.