Buddha Jayanti

The Stupas of the Valley are decorated
with colorful prayer flags and painted with saffron wash to represent the holy lotus.

Buddha Jayanti

Although Nepal is the world's only Hindu kingdom, it also the birthplace of the Buddha and the home of millions of faithful Buddhists. Many of the people of the high Himalayan regions follow the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition and many of the people of Kathmandu Valley follow a unique form of Buddhism found nowhere else.

Here in Nepal the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and Parinirvana, or final passing, are celebrated on a single day, the springtime full moon.

SPONSORED LINKS

REMAINING PART OF PAGE CONTINUES BELOW ADS

The celebrations center around the Valley's two great Stupas, Swayanbhunath and Boudhanath. During the day at Swayambu, images of Lord Buddha are displayed and monks perform ritual dances and ceremonies. At Boudha an image of Lord Buddha is mounted on an elephant and a large procession circles around the Stupa and proceeds down the road to the nearby Charumati stupa at Chabahil, past crowds of monks and lay Buddhists dressed in their finest.

The Stupas of the Valley are decorated with colorful prayer flags and painted with saffron wash to represent the holy lotus. In the evening, devotees light thousands of candles and butter lamps on their window sills and around the Stupas, filling the evening with the thought of Lord Buddha's gift.

Festivals of Nepal