page_title: Boudhanath
section_title: Legend of the construction of the stupa according to Newar Buddhist mythology
hierarchical_section_title: Boudhanath / Mythology / Legend of the construction of the stupa according to Newar Buddhist mythology
caption_attribution_description: English: Stone made Head of King BIkramaditya in Bajrayogini
context_page_description: Boudhanath is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Located about 11 km from the center and northeastern outskirts of Kathmandu, the stupa's massive mandala makes it one of the largest spherical stupas in Nepal.
  The Boudha Stupa dominates the skyline; it is one of the largest stupas in the world. The influx of large populations of refugees from Tibet has seen the construction of over 50 gompas around Boudha. As of 1979, Boudha Stupa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Along with Swayambhu, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in the Kathmandu area.
  The Stupa is on the ancient trade route from Tibet which enters the Kathmandu Valley by the village of Sankhu in the northeast corner, passes by Boudha Stupa to the ancient and smaller stupa of Chā-bahī named Charumati Stupa. It then turns directly south, heading over the Bagmati River to Lalitpur – thus bypassing the main city of Kathmandu. Tibetan merchants have rested and offered prayers here for many centuries. When refugees entered Nepal from Tibet in the 1950s, many decided to live around Boudhanath. The Stupa is said to entomb the remains of Kassapa Buddha.
context_section_description: According to the history of Nepal, the palace of King Bikramaditya (Licchavi King) once stood where the Narayanhiti Palace currently stands. King Vikramaditya instructed that a Dhunge Dhara should be built in the southern part of palace courtyard. But there was no sign of water from the Dhunge Dhara, for which the king consulted Astrologers. Astrologers suggested that a human sacrifice with a male candidate having Battis-Lakshanas, or thirty-two perfections should be performed.
  Only the king himself and his two princes were suitable candidates. So, the king decided to sacrifice himself and ordered one of his sons to sacrifice him so that sign of water could be seen at the Dhunge Dhara. According to local mythology, during the time of sacrifice, the head flew off to a place nearby Sankhu Bajrayogini Temple.
  The prince then with a regretful heart, flew a hen from the top of Bajrayogini and decided to construct a Stupa where the hen landed. The hen landed in the place where Boudhanath Stupa is currently standing. During the same time, the place was struck with a Drought and the people managed to abate the scarcity of water by collecting the droplets of dew. So, the place was named Khāsti as in Nepal Bhasa, "khas" refers to dew and "ti" refers to drops.
  Later His Majesty Government of Nepal renamed the place from Khasti to Boudhanath in order to reflect Hinduism as being the Hindu Nation.
caption: Stone head of King Vikramaditya in Bajrayogini
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