The Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath is a white hemispherical dome about 36 metres high set on a stepped mandala base, with a gilded tower above it carrying the painted eyes on all four sides, and it is among the largest stupas in Asia. Its present importance is tied to the Tibetan community: refugees settled around it from 1959 and built more than fifty gompas in the surrounding streets, which turned a valley pilgrimage site into the working centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal. The kora, the clockwise circuit around the base, runs continuously through the day and fills at dusk with people walking, spinning the wheels and lighting butter lamps. The spire came down in the 2015 earthquake and was rebuilt by 2016. It is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage inscription.

What you actually see

• The dome and eyes - the white stupa on its mandala base.
• The kora at dusk - the circuit filling with walkers and butter lamps.
• The surrounding gompas - the monasteries built in the streets around.
• Rooftop terraces - the cafes looking down onto the stupa.

When to go

October to April for the weather. Dusk is when the circuit is busiest and most alive. Losar, Tibetan new year in February or March, brings the largest gatherings and full ceremonial.

Honest expectations

The streets around are heavily commercial, with shops and cafes aimed squarely at visitors. Walking anticlockwise or standing in the flow is discourteous. It is crowded at dusk and at festivals. The entry charge applies to the whole enclosure.

Nearby

Pashupatinath lies south; Kopan monastery is on the hill above.