Bouddhnath Stupa to remain open for public from Tuesday

KATHMANDU: The ancient Bouddhanath Stupa at Bouddha in the capital will remain open for the public from tomorrow, according to the Bouddhanath Area Development Committee (BADC).

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is scheduled to inaugurate the 36-metres tall Stupa tomorrow, shared BADC Chairperson Sampurna Kumar Lama, adding that purification rituals is being held in this Buddhist shrine for two days towards this end.

The monument, believed to be first built in the fifth century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entrance to the Stupa was prohibited after it was partially damaged by the April 25 earthquake with epicentre in Gorkha last year. According to the BADC, the renovation of the Stupa was carried out at the cost of Rs 230 million.

The inaugural ceremony will be attended by religious leaders and ambassadors of various countries having Buddhist population, including India, China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Japan, Thailand among others, and representatives of diplomatic missions in Kathmandu, BADC informed.

On Sunday night, the Pran-Prathistha process (infusing life in idol) in Stupa was done to bring it to life following the quake. Religious leaders of Mahayana sect held a special atonement ritual seeking pardon for the mistakes during the renovation effort. Furthermore, the honorific religious leaders from both Mahayana and Vajrayan sects of the Buddhism offered prayers and chants from their holy scriptures for the world peace.