Historical Charumati Stupa

Charumati Stupa is 2,300 years old shrine built by Princess Charumati, daughter of Emperor Ashoka, who came to Kathmandu valley on one of the Buddhist missionaries. The historical Charumati is an important shrine for Buddhist devotees. The available chronicles, stone inscriptions and records indicate that the famous Charumati Stupa is an ancient archeology of Nepal related to Buddhism and is among the oldest stupas of the valley. This holy shrine that contains the relic of Lord Buddha lies at around 15 minutes walk between two World Heritage Sites of Nepal, Pashupatinath and Boudhanath. Charumati Stupa has not only stood as a strong living history of Buddhism in ancient Nepal but also as a holy shrine for paying homage to Lord Buddha and commemorate his holy teachings.

Who Was Charumati?

Princess Charumati was one of the daughters of Emperor Ashoka, the mighty ruler of Maurya dynasty and later a devout Buddhist from Indian subcontinent in around 300 BC. Ashoka sought refuge of the Buddha after his sinful involvement into the bloody war that killed thousands of people. He had turned himself into devout Buddhist. When he came to know that Sakyamuni Buddha’s relics were distributed and enshrined into eight different places of the continent, he devotedly excavated seven shrines and mixed the relic to be distributed into more places. He sent his Buddhist missionaries in many part of the continent with the relics. His sons and daughters, who were dedicated Buddhist too, joined the missionaries. Princess Charumati accompanied her father Emperor Ashoka’s Buddhist missionary to Kathmandu, Nepal where she happened to marry king Devpal of Devpatan [present Chabahil, Kathmandu]. She was highly influenced by her father’s Buddhist mission and was motivated to take it as her duty to popularize Buddhism in the kingdom. She constructed the Charumati Stupa [also known as Dhando Chaitya] at Devpatana (now Chabahil) enshrining the relic of the Buddha. After the death of her husband, she converted herself into a Buddhist nun renouncing royal life and started living in the Charumati vihara nearby together with 500 follower nuns. She practiced and preached Dhamma in the kingdom. Charumati’s contribution is worth-mentioning in popularizing Theravada in Kathmandu valley.

Renovation of Charumati Stupa

The historical Charumati Stupa has been found to have undergone repairs, reconstructions and renovations in the past by the contemporary rulers. But a long way had passed before it was renovated in 2000 AD. In 2000 AD, the historical Charuamati Stupa observed a severe crack just above the circular dome which signaled that the Stupa could crumble to ruins anytime. Realizing the urgent requirement to protect the living history of Buddhism in Kathmandu, Chief Abbot Bhikkhu Tapassi Dhamma initiated renovation of this stupa by collecting support and donation from the Buddhist communities from all parts of the world. He was permitted to carry out this renovation by and with the help of Department of Archeology (DoA) under Nepal government. With the support of Nepal Government, local and international devotees and well-wishers, the Stupa renovation work was completed, presenting a pleasant relief to the devotees and the communities who take pride on this historical asset.

After the completion of the renovation, the once desolated and carelessly standing monument of historical importance found a new and attractive look, walled up boundary and clean and open premises. During the renovation process, many ancient relics of historical significance were found, such as ancient coins, gold Buddhist idols, and metal idols of Buddha kept by the devotees during each renovation in the past as well as ancient brick with inscriptions of "Charumati Thupa" in Brahmi script of Emperor Ashoka’s period and the inscription of Dharmachakkara that was used to represent Buddhism by Emperor Ashoka. The brick that proved the ancient history of Charumati Stupa is safely kept in Chhauni Museum. Other ancient relics are again kept inside the Stupa while reconstructing it. The records of these relics are safe with Charumati Buddha Mission (CBM)-Nepal.

Charumati Stupa premises are used for any programs and gatherings of Charumati Buddha Vihara.