Sacred Buddhist sites of Nepal

Nepal is a small country but on there are four important Buddhist sites on its territory. First of all, the Buddha himself was born here. The place is called Lumbini and it is situated 250 km from the capital. There are many monasteries, temples and stupas in Lumbini built by Buddhists from different countries.
Lumbini was "lost" for centuries. Only in 1895 a massive stone pillar was discovered which now is believed to have been erected by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 250 BC. There is an inscription on the pillar in Sanskrit “Buddha Sakyamuni, the blessed one was born here".

Buddhas of Sri Lanka

Buddha at the entrance to the Kandy museum

The majority of population in Sri Lanka is Buddhists (69%). But even without knowing this statistics one can guess it just after arriving in this country: a seated Buddha sculpture of an impressive size greets you at the airport, and numerous figures of smaller size, enclosed in glass boxes , flash with regularity at roadsides and crossroads on your way from the airport to the city. I've never seen so many images of Buddha before: of different sizes - from huge to small, in various poses - sitting, standing, reclining; with different facial expressions and hand positions; made of different materials.

Tibetan prayer flags

Player flags at Boudhanath, Kathamdnu, Nepal

What I like about Tibetan Buddhist sacred sites is that there are always numerous colourful flags flowing in the wind there. They brighten the place and kind of create a cheerful mood. But these flags are not for decoration there or for creating a mood. These are prayer flags and their main purpose is to spread their special message in all directions, with the help of the wind that blows over them day and night.