Namobuddha, one of the popular tourist destinations 40km southeast of Kathmandu Valley, is one of the holiest Buddhist sites. It is an essential pilgrimage for Buddhists, and also Namobuddha is home to several ancient monasteries and stupas. Stupas and Monasteries with flattering vibrant prayer flags and the serene environment of NamoBuddha welcome every visitor in its shadow. From Namo Buddha, you can have a magnificent view of some of the highest peaks in the world as Mt.Everest, Dorje Lakpa, Ganesh Himal, Langtang Ranges, and Gaurishankar. On some of the mountains, the groves of trees appear to glow with emerald and turquoise. Namo Buddha is the place where Buddha, in a previous life as a prince, gave his body to the starving tigress and her cubs. From religious sites to alluring nature views, from historical stories to palatable organic food from every perspective, Namo Buddha is a perfect tourist destination in Nepal.
The place Namo Buddha is also famous for short and easy trekking in Nepal. Namo Buddha to Panauti Hiking, Hiking from Dhulikhel to Namo Buddha, hike from Namo Buddha to Pulchowki is some popular Hikes.
History of Namobuddha
According to the legends, many years ago, there lived a King named Great Charioteer (Shinto Chempo) who ruled the small kingdom. The King had three sons. The youngest was named Great Being (Semchen Chempo), the middle was named Great Deity (Lha Chenpo), and the oldest was called Great Sound (Dra Chenpo). The two more senior Prince always spent their time helping the king to govern the Kingdom, while the younger one, Great Being, was a generous and Kindhearted person from the earliest time.
One day the Great Being and his two brothers went for an outing in the forest of Namobuddha. During the tour, they saw a tigress. Brothers of Great Being wanted to kill the Tigress, but Great Being stopped them as he was a benevolent person. Great Being noticed that the starved tigress was very weak and could not feed her cubs. This sight made him very sad from the depth of his heart; even tears came out of his eyes. He told his brothers to return home, and he stayed there. His Kindness towards the tigress compelled him to sacrifice himself to save the tigress and her cubs. The remaining two Prince waited long and went back to the den to see Semchen Chempo, but they found only the bones, nails, hair, and clothes. After seeing all that, they returned to the king and Queen and told all about what had happened. They all became unfortunate. The queen did not recover for a long time.
At the same time, the Prince, Great Being, had been reborn as Great Courage (Nyingtob Chenpo) in the celestial realm of Tushita. Prince spoke to his parents and told them that we would meet again in the next life. After speaking with the Prince, they became a little happier and decided to continue the virtuous activity. They made a small box covered with jewels. Inside that box, they kept the bones of the Prince, and the Stupa was built in the place in which it was buried.
Climbing up for about 15m from the Stupa, there is a place where the scene of Buddha giving his body to the starved tigress is inscribed in the stone. It is the same place where Buddha sacrificed himself to save the tigress.
Around 8 kilometers below the stupa, there is Panauti. It is believed that the town Panauti consists of the ruins of the Palace of King Great Charioteer. Also, 3km below the Namo buddha stupa, a small temple is said to contain the remains of the mother of Prince Semchen Campo.
Further, a new monastery Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery has also been built in Namo Buddha Monastery. Khenchen Thranchu Rinpoche constructed Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery.
Why is the place given the name Namo Buddha?
The Tibetan name of Namo Buddha is Takmo Lujan. However, local people call it Namo Buddha. These people fear tigers that they do not call Stupa by its real name as the actual name of NamoBuddha contains the word, Tiger. According to Buddhism, it is said that if you utter the name of Buddha, then you will be free from fear and anxiety, so people call it Namo Buddha.
How to get to Namo Buddha?
To get to the Namo Buddha, you can take a local bus from Kathmandu to Banepa. From Banepa, take another bus to Namo Buddha, available at least once a day. This bus goes through Dhulikhel, so you can also catch the same bus from Dhulikhel.
If you are interested in Hiking, you can also get a bus to Kavre Bhanjyang and start your hike to Namobuddha from here. Within 2 hours of hiking from Kavre Bhanjyang, you reach Namo Buddha, which is about 9km away from Kavre Bhanjyang.
Passing through Panauti and Sangkhu, you can trek from Banepa to Namo Buddha. Besides this, you can also start hiking from Dhulikhel, where it takes around 3 hours to reach Namo Buddha.
You can also hire a taxi from Kathmandu to Namo Buddha, which is quite costly.
Despite getting so confused regarding which path to choose, it will be great if you book a Day Hiking in Kathmandu Package offered by a Local Trekking Company In Nepal.
Things to do in Namobuddha
- Hiking around the Holiest Buddha Shrine of Namo buddha
- Visit Stupa and Monastery
- Getting the introduction to Buddhist Philosophy and teaching
- Capture stunning Photographs
- Attending the prayers, poojas, and meditation
Entrance Fee
The entrance is free for all the visitors.
