A hub for Tibetan merchants and traders for centuries, Boudhanath remains one of the most important Buddhist shrines in Nepal. Located on the opposite edge of Kathmandu from Swayambhunath, crowds of Tibetan Buddhists circumambulate the stupa every day, often in traditional dress, while the sound of ‘om mani padme hum’, the mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig) closely associated with Tibetan culture, wafts through the air. Prayer wheels encircle the stupa, which is walked around clockwise, and prayer flags carry block-printed prayers into the sky as they blow in the wind.