Tag: Stupa
A Buddhist Sunday – #Buddha #Relics
After the Buddha reached Parinirvāṇa (he passed away) his body was cremated. The remaining ashes and pieces of bone where distributed amongst his most influential followers. The relics spread across south-east Asia. For example to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Singapore. I’ve seen relics in a museum in Kolkata, India in 2005 and most recently in the National…
A Buddhist Sunday – Punakha Dzong and Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche
Punakha Dzong was built in the early 17th century, making it the one of the oldest Dzongs in Bhutan. As with any other Dzong (རྫོང་) it houses government administrative offices and a monastery. A Dzong is shaped as a fortress with a very high wall surrounding it and a tower in the middle of the courtyard….
Alphabet Cities – T is for Thimphu (ཐིམ་ཕུ་)
As I have travelled a bit I am going to try and see if I have one city for each letter in the alphabet. Today it is T is for Thimphu (ཐིམ་ཕུ་)
A Buddhist Sunday – Climbing up to Svayambhūnāth Stūpa (स्वयम्भूनाथ स्तुप)
In the Northwest of Kathmandu, half an hour walk or a 200 rupee taxi journey (although it is possible to get there for less) from the city centre lies Svayambhūnāth(a). According to the Svayambhū purāṇa, a Buddhist scripture describing the origin of the Kathmandu valley, the area of Svayambhūnāth was a huge lake out of which…
A Buddhist Sunday – Boudhanath Stūpa (बौद्धनाथ) or
About 10 kilometers east of Kathmandu city centre you will find Boudhanath (Baudhanātha) Stūpa. It is said the stūpa contains the remains of the third Buddha Kāśyapa, the predecessor to Śākyamuni Buddha who is said to be the fourth Buddha and the Buddha of our time. According to legend, after the demise of the third Buddha his…