With reference to Kathmandu Valley in Nepal; includes traveler information.

Award-winning photographer Kevin Bubriski captures in stunning detail the sacred places of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley. Noted scholar Keith Dowman provides history and commentary on the significance of the sites.

The Life of Shabkar has long been recognized by Tibetans as one of the master works of their religious heritage. Following his inspired youth and early training in his native province of Amdo under the guidance of several extraordinary Buddhist masters, Shabkar Tsodruk Rangdrol devoted himself to many years of meditation in solitary retreat. With determination and courage, he mastered the highest and most esoteric practices of the Tibetan tradition of the Great Perfection. He then wandered far and wide over the Himalayan region expressing his realization. His autobiography vividly reflects the values and visionary imagery of Tibetan Buddhism as well as the social and cultural life of early nineteenth century Tibet.

This guidebook highlights multiple stupas, temples and other Buddhist holy sites spread throughout Nepal as told in Sutras and Tantras. I am impressed that a detailed explanation of these holy sites, their principal deities, and historical significance are clearly presented in this work. In particular, this book describes in detail three major Stupas and centuries old historical accounts of the Tibetan Lamas who restored and instilled the gilded copper ornamentation of these hallowed sites. Information otherwise not widely known is also covered in this book such as the fact that the great 5th Dalai Lama granted a stipend for a Stupa caretaker, as well as the fact that the great 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas made contributions towards the major restorations of the revered Swayambunath and Boudhnath Stupas. In addition, there is a particularly well researched section on the temple built by Lichavi King Shiva Deva, the grandfather of Princess Bhrikurti, the Nepalese wife of King Songtsen Gampo. It includes the related history of the arrival of Bhrikuti's father King Udaya Deva to Lhasa for sanctuary and her brother, Narendra Deva's successful return to Nepal, fully supported and led by King Songtsen Gampo and his soldiers. I highly recommend this book, "The Marvelous Music of Narratives.” It is worth reading and indeed is a required companion for all pilgrims, especially those new visitors looking for fuller experience of these sites. Lobsang Shastri, Senior Librarian of Buddhist Digital Resource Center and teacher of Tibetan language in the South Asian Studies Department, Harvard University

Includes not only architectural information, but also the cultural significance of these Buddhist monuments.

The Sugata Saurabha is an epic poem that retells the story of the Buddha's life. It was published in 1947 in the Nepalese language, Newari, by Chittadhar Hridaya, one of the greatest literary figures of 20th-century Nepal. The text is remarkable for its comprehensiveness, artistry, and nuance. It covers the Buddha's life from birth to death and conveys his basic teachings with simple clarity. It is also of interest because, where the classical sources are silent, Hridaya inserts details of personal life and cultural context that are Nepalese. The effect is to humanize the founder and add the t.

A translation of the modern Nepalese classic Winner of the Toshihide Numata Book Award in Buddhism and the Khyentse Foundation Prize for Outstanding Translation This award-winning book contains the English translation of Sugata Saurabha (“The Sweet Fragrance of the Buddha”), an epic poem on the life and teachings of the Buddha. Chittadhar Hṛdaya, a master poet from Nepal, wrote this tour de force while imprisoned for subversion in the 1940s and smuggled it out over time on scraps of paper. His consummate skill and poetic artistry are evident throughout as he tells the Buddha’s story in dramatic terms, drawing on images from the natural world to heighten the description of emotionally charged events. It is peopled with very human characters who experience a wide range of emotions, from erotic love to anger, jealousy, heroism, compassion, and goodwill. By showing how the central events of the Buddha’s life are experienced by Siddhartha, as well as by his family members and various disciples, the poem communicates a fuller sense of the humanity of everyone involved and the depth and power of the Buddha’s loving-kindness. For this new edition of the English translation, the translators improved the beauty and flow of most every line. The translation is also supplemented with a series of short essays by Todd Lewis, one of the translators, that articulates how Hṛdaya incorporated his own Newar cultural traditions in order to connect his readership with the immediacy and relevancy of the Buddha’s life and at the same time express his views on political issues, ethical principles, literary life, gender discrimination, economic policy, and social reform.