A New Sacred Site on the Periphery of Boudhanath Stupa, and Kathmandu as an Historic and Modern Centre and Border

Tibetan Buddhist historiography tends towards a “borderland complex” that fueled fascination with, and pilgrimage to, holy sites in South Asia. Yet, focusing on central Nepal—as both a destination for devotees and a periphery from the perspective of the major sites of the Buddha’s life—problematises applying such discourse to modern times. Kathmandu’s Boudhanath Stūpa has on its own periphery a newly created “Ghyoi Lisang Peace Park” expressing Tibetan, Newar, Tamang and other Himalayan identities as part of its architecture, iconography and used by pilgrims, tourists and locals; but is also a leisure destination run by municipal administrators. This presentation analyses its ecology in relation to older dynamics of pilgrims creating and reading space, identifying the “sacred” and negotiating holy sites. Further, it sheds light on how religio-economic power between China and India manifests here, in not only in mundane bricks-and-mortar business but also online through Instagram and Google reviews.