Bodhnath Stupa, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal – the largest stupa in Nepal

On our last full day in Kathmandu we went to the Indian Embassy to pay for and pick up our visas. On the walk back to Thamel we found a street vendor cooking chowmein for sixty rupees (seventy-five cents), it was the nicest noodles we had tasted during our whole trip.

Street-stall chowmein for sixty rupees, delicious

After this we headed to Bodhnath (or Boudha) to see the Bodhnath Stupa, one of the world’s largest. We took a tempo (shared rickshaw) from Thamel. The stupa looks like many we’d already seen, however it is its sheer size that makes it so remarkable.  It is said to have been built in the 7th century, during the time of Tibetan King Songsten Gampo and also contains a bone that belonged to the first Buddha himself (Siddharta). Around the base of the stupa are hundreds of prayer wheels, which we spun as we traversed in a clockwise direction.

Bodhnath Stupa, Nepals largest stupa
The Bodhnath Stupa surrounded by Buddhist prayer flags
The Bodhnath Stupa surrounded by Buddhist prayer flags
Monk sitting next to the stupa
Sonya turning an extremely large prayer wheel
Prayer flags running to the tip of Bodhnath Stupa
Travis and Sonya at the Bodhnath Stupa
Elephant statue figure in front of the Bodhnath Stupa
Sonya tying a white scarf to a smaller stupa in front of the Bodhnath Stupa