"I still need to make 98 more rounds," said Sherpa. After a brief pause, Sherpa, who was visiting Baudhanath along with her friends to observe Buddha Jayanti, the birthday of the lord Gautam Buddha, proceeded to make further rounds of the stupa. [break]
Buddhists like Roma believe circumambulating Baudhanath Stupa 108 times on the occasion of Buddha Jayanti will ensure a better afterlife for them. Thousands of Buddhists were seen making rounds of the Bouddhanath Stupa on Saturday, braving sweltering heat.
Those making rounds of Boudhanath included not just grownup men and women, but also youngsters.
Dawa Lama, 22, who lives in Mahankal of Kathmandu, visited the Bouddhanath Stupa only to take 108 rounds of the stupa. A student of medicine, Lama was dressed in his traditional attire to celebrate Buddha Jayanti and had come with his friends. As in the past years, he also lit several lamps at the stupa.
“I believe in all our religious practices,” shared Lama. “Though we have a stupa in Mahankal, we have to visit Bouddhanath Stupa on special occasions as we consider it above all other stupas,” added Lama.
Like the Baudhanath Stupa, other famous Buddhist sites, including Swayambhu, were also crowded with the devotees.
Buddha Jayanti, which is also known as Baishakh Purnima, is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Baishakh according to Nepali calendar. And this year, it fell on May 25th.
The day holds special significance for followers of Buddhism all over the world as it is the day the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment and died.
In 1951, Buddha Jayanti was declared as public holiday by the then government.
This year marked 2557th birth anniversary of the Buddha.
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