Stupas in Nepal date back to the Licchavi period. A stupa is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as śarīra – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. Swayambhunath (pictured) is one of the oldest-known buildings in the country, and was likely built in the 5th century. It was built in Swayambhu, Kathmandu, where the land was declared as sacred to Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), by Ashoka the Great, the 3rd emperor of the Maurya dynasty, in the 3rd century BCE. Ashoka's daughter Charumati, who married a Nepali prince, built Charumati Stupa in the 4th century. Boudhanath is one of the holiest sites in Nepal; it was closed for 18 months after the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, which completely destroyed the top part of the stupa. The World Peace Pagoda was built by Japanese Buddhists for about US$1 million; near the stupa is the gravestone of a monk who was murdered by an anti-Buddhist group while the building was being built. The Ramagrama stupa contains relics of the Buddha and it remains untouched in its original form. (Full list...)