About 11% of the 29 million people in Nepal are Buddhist - the rest are 81% Hindu, with a small proportion of Muslim, Christian, etc.
The Buddhist centre of Kathmandu is the area of Boudhanath, part of the Kathmandu UNESCO World heritage site. The largest stupa on earth is the centre of Boudha, an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists from all over the world. Buddhists and Hindus peacefully exist in this country and often you will see their temples side by side, the example being Swayambunath, the Monkey Temple. Fortunately, religious tolerance is a special trait of Nepali's. Hindus and Buddhists share beliefs in karma (the law of cause and effect), rebirth and some deities. (Vishnu is believed to be a reincarnation of the Buddha)
Boudhanath is surrounded by 26 monasteries many of which host international students, monks and nuns studying Buddhism. The stupa is 120 feet in diameter and 43 feet high and is said to have relics of the Buddha buried deep within. It has a kora (clockwise walkway), many shops selling thangkas, Tibetan prayer wheels, singing bowls, necklaces, music CD's and incense. Tibetan exiles, many of whom live nearby, walk the kora, run shops, and practice their daily rituals.
Pashupatinath - the Holy Hindu Temples
Pashupatinath have the holy Hindu temples not far from Boudha. Daily cremations occur on the ghats on the banks of the Bagmati river. Hospices next to the temples allow the sick and elderly to be near their gods upon death. This is also part of the Kathmandu UNESCO World heritage site.
The ghats are shown below...
1 comment:
Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as: https://unexploredbuddhistmonuments.com/
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