Prayer flags flutter in the wind, there is a smell of incense sticks, and a cloud of doves buzzes over the square. In the shops around the Bodnath Stupa, vendors offer pennants, candles, minerals, tea and cloths. It is an atmosphere somewhere between a happy fairground and a magical place of power, and this special atmosphere hardly leaves any visitor untouched. This is mainly due to the fervently praying people who ritually circle the dome at all times of the day and night, always clockwise. Some throw themselves down every few meters, others crawl the whole round on their stomachs. Young monks goose-stepping in circles to approach nirvana as effectively as possible.
The white and gold Bodnath Stupa in Kathmandu is one of the most important Buddhist shrines and a World Heritage Site. The dome is 36 meters high, the 40 meter wide system stands on three 20-cornered bases, which look like a mandala when viewed from above. The four inquiring eyes of the Buddha look in all directions. The tower symbolizes the 13 steps to Nirvana, 108 cult images represent various protective deities.
Many exiled Tibetans have moved to this outskirts of Kathmandu specifically to complete 10,000 more circuits of the stupa in their lifetime. They turn prayer wheels built into niches, which is said to have 11,000 times more of an effect on karma than saying a mantra. Large numbers are important in this type of walking meditation. But non-believers can reach paradise after just one circuit: the Paradise Café (Wifi and cappuccino available) awaits on the eastern side of the stupa.