Along with Bodhnath and Swayambhunath, the Namobuddha Stupa is one of the three most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal, attracting large numbers of Tibetans from Nepal, India and Tibet itself.
The site is sacred due to the inspiring legend about the Buddha, who, when in a previous life as a prince, encountered a tigress that was close to death from starvation and unable to feed her cubs. In an act of compassion he allowed the hungry tigress to consume him, a deed that transported him to the higher realms of existence. A marble tablet depicts the event in a small cave up the forested path to the left of the stupa.
