The all-seeing Buddha eyes in Boudhanath

The gigantic white dome with two eyes that seem not to miss a single event is impressive. Boudhanath is the largest stupa in the Kathmandu Valley – and also one that attracts the most visitors.

Located eight kilometers east of downtown Kathmandu, Boudha (as it is also known) is 36 meters high, allowing it to be seen as soon as it lands at Tribhuvan International Airport. It is considered the center of Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal.

Built in the shape of a mandala, it was designed to reproduce the Gyangtse of Tibet. Boudha was built on the old trade route to Tibet, where Tibetan traders rested and said their prayers.

It is one of the main pilgrimage sites for Buddhists from around the world. The faithful usually say their prayers, light a butter lamp and rotate the copper carvings carved with ideograms with their hands.

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On either side are the eyes of the all-seeing Buddha, symbolizing consciousness. The canopy has 13 stages. At the ground level, there is a brick wall with 147 niches and 108 images of the meditative Buddha, inserted behind copper prayer wheels.

Around the stupa there are several restaurants where you can have a meal or simply have a cup of tea or coffee.

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