Nepal: Worth the pilgrimage for Buddhists

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Nepal is a multi-religious society with a rich religious culture. Though the majority of the country is Hindu (86.2 percent), Buddhist influences are pervasive in many aspects of Nepali culture.

People in Nepal will be very proud to tell you that the Lord Buddha was born in Nepal. The country has several UNESCO-designated World Heritage sites, two related to Buddhism.

Maya Devi temple, birthplace of Buddha, Lumbini, Nepal / VCG photo

Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a pilgrimage site. As described by UNESCO, "among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there." The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage center and holds big religious events.

Lumbini is one of the holiest places for one of the world's great religions, and it contains important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centers from as early as the 3rd century BC.

Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas

Another prominent Buddhist site is Swayambhunath, the Monkey Temple, in Kathmandu Valley, also a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO states that the religious ensemble of Swayambhu includes the oldest Buddhist monument (a stupa) in the Valley.

A monkey sitting over a Buddhist shrine at Swayamnhunath temple, Kathmandu, Nepal/ VCG photo .

Bauddhanath stupa/ VCG photo

Portrait of Buddha statue/ VCG photo

Monk in Nepal/ VCG photo

Prayer wheels in Nepal/ VCG photo

There are said to be over 1,200 Buddhist temples in Nepal, some going back as far as 2,000 years.

Tourism has been a major pillar for Nepal's economy. Chinese tourist arrivals to Nepal have increased 100 percent since 2003, from around 7,000 in 2003 to more than 100,000 in 2017. For those who want to experience and immerse oneself into this strong religious environment, Nepal is definitely a must-go destination.

What are the cultural elements that best represent Asia? Follow up with the "Know Asia Better" series. It will offer you a glimpse of 47 Asian countries, through architecture, art or cultural figures to show you a diversified Asia that you may never have noticed before. Themed in the exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations will be held in Beijing in May.

(Designer: Fan Chenxiao)