Boudhanath Stupa

Boudhanath rises in tiers from a vast mandala base on the old trade road to Tibet, and at thirty-six metres across the dome it is one of the largest stupas in the world. The neighbourhood around it has been Tibetan for generations and much more so since 1959, when refugees settled here and built the monasteries that now ring the square. The whitewashed dome is repainted regularly and saffron water is thrown over it in a great sunburst that stains down the sides. What makes Boudhanath is not the architecture but the use: the kora around the base is the local street, walked clockwise all day by monks, pilgrims, shopkeepers and grandmothers, and joining it is the way to see the place. We walk the circuit, visit two or three of the surrounding monasteries - most are open and several hold afternoon prayers - and look in on the thangka painters and the incense workshops in the lanes behind. The stupa was damaged in 2015 and rebuilt largely by public subscription within two years. We time this for dusk wherever possible, when the butter lamps are lit and the chanting starts from several directions at once, which is the hour worth being here for.