About this place

Namo Buddha or Takmo Lüjin (Tib. སྟག་མོ་ལུས་སྦྱིན་, Wyl. stag mo lus sbyin) is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site of Nepal, and one of the three main stupas of the Kathmandu valley. Situated about 40 km to the south east of Kathmandu city, the stupa built on the bones and hair of prince Mahasattva (Tib. Semchen Chenpo), stands on the slopes of the Gandha Malla hill[1].

According to the Jatakas and several sutras, Mahasattva was one of Buddha Shakyamuni's former incarnations. He was the youngest of the three sons of king Maharatha. One day as the three brothers were walking through the forest, they saw a tigress with the five cubs she had given birth to. She was so hungry she could hardly move. The three princes went away, but Mahasattva decided to go back and started to cut his flesh to give it to the tigress to eat. When his brothers went to look for him they found only his bones and hair. The stupa was built on top of these remains.