The largest stupa in Nepal, Bodnath is the center of Tibetan Buddhist faith and culture in Kathmandu and rich in Buddhist symbolism. From above, Bodnath Stupa looks like a giant mandala, or diagram of the Buddhist cosmos. And as in all Tibetan mandalas, four of the Dhyani Buddhas mark the cardinal points, with the fifth, Vairocana, enshrined in the center (in the white hemisphere of the stupa). The five Buddhas also personify the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether), which are represented in the stupa's architecture. There are other symbolic numbers here as well: the nine levels of Boudhanath Stupa represent the mythical Mt. Meru, center of the cosmos; and the 13 rings from the base to the pinnacle symbolize the path to enlightenment, or "Bodhi" - hence the stupa's name.

Nearby images in Kathmandu

A: Pashpatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal

by Soko Aoki, 1.8 km away

Pashpatinath, Kathmandu, Nepal

B: Panch Deval - A Temple-cum-Sanatorium

by Arroz Marisco, 1.9 km away

En route to cremation complex of Pashupatinath by the holy river of Bagmati is a temple complex calle...

C: Kathmandu kafe "new orleans"2

by andrey air_man, 3.6 km away

D: Kathmandu kafe "new orleans"

by andrey air_man, 3.7 km away

E: Kathmandu Tamel

by andrey air_man, 3.7 km away

F: kathmandu-patan 2

by andrey air_man, 6.4 km away

G: kathmandu patan kafe

by andrey air_man, 6.4 km away

H: The Erotic Carvings at Jagannarayan Temple

by Arroz Marisco, 6.5 km away

Dedicated to Narayan, one of the many incarnations of the supreme diety of Vishnu in Hinduism, the te...

I: Changu Narayan Temple

by Justin Imhoff, 6.5 km away

J: Patan Durbar Square

by Justin Imhoff, 6.5 km away

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Patan Durbar Square is probably one of the oldest Buddhist cities in th...

This panorama was taken in Kathmandu

This is an overview of Kathmandu