The Boudhanath Stupa reopened Tuesday following its renovation for earthquake damage. Boudhanath Stupa was among hundreds of historic monuments damaged during the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit Nepal in April 2015, killing nearly 9,000 people. More →
For centuries, owning an elephant was seen by Sri Lanka’s Buddhist elite as a sign of prestige and authority. Many among the wealthy, who consider the animals to be divine, have long flouted laws against elephant ownership to keep a jumbo chained up in their back yard. But with illegal capture helping to drive wild populations into steep decline, the government is now cracking down, seizing the animals and launching criminal investigations against elite members of society, including a monk and a judge. Even as the country cracks down on illegal ownership, the enduring demand for elephants has the government planning to set up its own pool of captive animals to be hired out to temples for ceremonies and maintained with budget funds.
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Nepal’s week-long Indra Jatra festival celebrates “Indra,” the king of gods and the god of rain.
Every September, Nepal’s living goddess is carried on a palanquin in a religious procession through parts of the capital in a festival celebrated by Nepalese Hindus and Buddhists.
The Naki Sumo, or crying baby contest, took place at Sensoji Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Friday, April 29, 2016. The babies participated in the annual traditional ritual performed as a prayer for healthy growth of them.
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The day in photos around the world.
Children attended a “Children Becoming Buddhist Monks” ceremony ahead of Buddha’s birthday at a Chogye temple on May 11, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. The children will stay at the temple to learn about Buddhism for 14 days. Buddha was born approximately 2,559 years ago, and although the exact date is unknown, Buddha’s official birthday is celebrated on the full moon in May in South Korea, which is May 25 this year.
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