page_title: Buddhism in Nepal
section_title: Buddhism during the Licchavi period (600-1200)
hierarchical_section_title: Buddhism in Nepal / History / Buddhism during the Licchavi period (600-1200)
caption_attribution_description: English: The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze. Nepal, 16th century CE. OA 1880.84. British Museum.
context_page_description: Buddhism in Nepal started spreading since the reign of Ashoka through Indian and Tibetan missionaries. The Kiratas were the first people in Nepal who embraced Gautama Buddha’s teachings, followed by the Licchavis and Newars.
  Buddha was born in Lumbini in the Shakya Kingdom. Lumbini is considered to lie in present-day Rupandehi district, Lumbini zone of Nepal.
  Buddhism is the second-largest religion in Nepal. According to 2001 census, 10.74% of Nepal's population practiced Buddhism, consisting mainly of Tibeto-Burman-speaking ethnicities, the Newar. However, in the 2011 census, Buddhists made up just 9% of the country's population. It has not been possible to assign with certainty the year in which Prince Siddhartha, the birth name of the Buddha, was born, it is usually placed at around 563 BCE. In Nepal's hill and mountain regions Hinduism has absorbed Buddhist tenets to such an extent that in many cases they have shared deities as well as temples. For instance, the Muktinath Temple is sacred and a common house of worship for both Hindus and Buddhists.
context_section_description: A Licchavi king, Amshuverma, married his daughter Bhrikuti to the ruler of Tibet, King Songtsen Gampo. According to legend, she received the begging bowl of the Buddha as part of her wedding dowry. It is believed that she introduced Buddhism into Tibet. she is also believed as a reincarnation of the Green Tara of Tibetan Buddhism, who is seen in many Buddhist Thangkas. Lichhavi period is known as the golden time for Buddhism.
caption: The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, gilded bronze. Nepal, 16th century CE
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