Exploring Buddhist Tourism in Nepal

HB.Kham

Nepal is not only gifted with natural beauty and cultural heritages, it is also vibrant with hundreds and thousands of Buddhist monasteries where serenity and peace prevails and Buddhist devotees can find peace of mind through meditation.

This is the land of world’s top brave Gurkhas as well as source of labor for the rest of the world presently. It is the land cradled at the base of the world’s highest mountain peak known as Mt Everest.

This is a pious land of Hindu Gods and Goddesses as well. However, Nepal being the birth place of Lord Buddha can be a explored as the Buddhist pilgrimage site just as Muslims go to Mecca every year to bestow their religious fervor.

The existence of few Buddhist monasteries and pilgrimage sites found in Nepal can suffice to conclude and deduce that Nepal is posed in much better position to declare it as the world’s top Buddhist pilgrimage destination for which we can receive Buddhist tourists from Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, and many countries of the world.

The following Buddhist pilgrimage sites and monasteries can be explored for Buddhist tourism in Nepal.

Lumbini

Lumbini is a serene pilgrimage site located close to the Indian border,located in Nepal’s Rupandehi District. The birth place of Lord Buddha and an abode of Buddhism, the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with stupas and monasteries lining the entirety of Lumbini.

This could be the Buddhist religious pilgrimage site for the entire Buddhist community from the world over if Nepal government and Lumbini Development Trust work on a master plan to declare this site as the world’s pilgrimage site for the Buddhists.

 Boudhanath Stupa

One of the ancient Buddhist stupas in the capital city of Kathmandu is a center of attraction for both Buddhist and non-Buddhists. This religious site can be explored for Buddhist tourism.

Perched on top of the Semgu Hill located in the outskirts to the west of the Kathmandu Valley, this temple is often considered to be one of the crowning glories of the country’s architectural skills. This Buddhist temple is not only the center of attraction for Buddhists but also for the non-Buddhists which attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. The iconic site for Buddhists can be explored for Buddhist tourism in Nepal.

Kopan Monastery

Located on the picturesque Kopan Hills, on the fringes of Kathmandu, Kopan Monastery is a stunning Tibetan Buddhist Monastery established between the late 1960s and early 1970s by the founders of the Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana.

It is a well-known tourist attraction and draws people for the stunning view of the Kathmandu Valley and the tranquil atmosphere, but it is mainly for those who are interested in learning Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism.

White Monastery

White Monastery (Seto Gomba) also known as Amitabha Monastery, is a Buddhist Monastery in Nepal, offering a mix of religious importance and, natural anesthetic. A part of the Nyingma monasteries, Shechen Tennyi Dargyeling was founded by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in Nepal after it was destroyed in Tibet in the 1950s. It is well known for over 150 statues, a haven for the largest Tibetan libraries, and over 500 monks.

This is not the last Buddhist site. There can be endless Buddhist tourism destinations across the valley and Nepal if a serious attention is given to this concept of exploring Buddhist tourism in Nepal which can flourish and bring prosperity to the country.

But for this the state must take a bold decision to even declare Nepal a place most favored by Buddhist scholars, devotees, and religious Lamas etc. Even diplomatic approaches in this connection should be initiated to make this plan effective across the globe.

This is very much clear that the day Nepal government recognizes the wealth of Buddhism within, Nepal will not remain a poor and least developed country in the world. It will grow abruptly to be richer than its neighboring countries.