The ride from central Kathmandu in Nepal to the small but beautiful village in the mountains called Namo Buddha is 40 kilometers. Regardless of its size, the village is of huge importance and worth to Buddhists because of the ancient story of Namo Buddha (translated as ‘Homage to the Buddha’). The Namo Buddha is situated downhill from the Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery, which is another amazing site and point of interest. The monastery is home to approximately 250 monks.
The Tale of Namo Buddha
The tale of the Namo Buddha is an old one and very much known. As the Nepali and Tibetan Buddhists believe, about 6000 years ago, Prince Mahasatwo found a tigress lying near a rock at this very spot. The tigress seemed to be extremely hungry— so much that she nearly died of hunger. The prince realized that if the tigress dies, her 5 cubs that she was nursing would also die. Therefore, out of loving kindness, the prince cut his own body and fed the flesh to the mother tiger, only to save the 6 beings. In turn, the tigress accepted the act of kindness and ate all of his body except the bones. The leftovers, i.e., the bones, were transported to the Namo Buddha Village and then inside the now-proclaimed stupa. Prince Gautama Siddhartha Buddha is said to have visited the place 3500 years later and announced that he, in reality, was the re-embodiment of Prince Mahasatwo.
Highlights
Since the Namo Buddha Stupa is situated at high altitude, you will be able to witness the stunning Himalayan views when facing north. You will also be able to go on a few short hiking trips to explore nearby villages and stupas and temples where Tamang people constitute most of the population.
