Bodhnath

Bodhnath is the largest Buddhist stupa (chorten) in Nepal and a center for ethnic Tibetans in Kathmandu. Like Swayambhunath, it is a domed structure topped with a golden spire that symbolizes the thirteen steps to enlightenment (or nirvana). Painted on the spire, and peering out in all four directions, are eyes representing the all-seeing eyes of the primordial Adi-Buddha. Prayer flags flutter in the breeze and the stupa is surrounded by prayer wheels turned by the faithful to send prayers aloft.

Despite its size, Bodhnath is tucked away in the middle of Kathmandu and is reached through a pedestrian passage through ordinary-looking city buildings off a busy street. If you don't know where to look, you can easily pass it by.

For photographs of another sacred Buddhist stupa (chorten) in the Kathmandu Valley, visit the Swayambhunath page.