Global Treasures: Bodnath

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

---

Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1150

UPC: 879061007491

---

Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

Kathmandu Valley is rich in both cultural and historic monuments. In the north of Pashupati, a huge stupa rises up from the city of Bodnath that is also referred to as Little Tibet, an important centre of Buddhism.

Forty metres high, the proud and unique Stupa of Bodnath rises up into the sky and thus represents the largest single religious building in Kathmandu Valley.

The prayer mills at the base of the stupa turn almost incessantly. Even now, the city is home to one of the most important religious representatives of Buddhism. After the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, the Chini Lama of Bodnath is one of the most influential religious leaders in Tibet.

On each of the four sides of the tower, the eyes of the omnipotent, all-seeing Buddha gaze down onto the believers below. His eyes are a peculiarity of Nepal. As a symbol of fire, the tower is in stark contrast to the hemisphere below that symbolizes the element of water.