Buddhist stupas A stupa is a sacred shrine built to a stylized structure that symbolizes Buddhist beliefs. Pilgrims perform a ritual clockwise walk around the stupa while spinning the prayer wheels that are set at its base. Two major centuries-old stupas in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal are those at Boudhanath and Swayambhunath. These dramatic and colorful structures with their attendant devotees have an undeniable spiritual energy. Boudhanath Stupa near Kathmandu is one of the largest in the world and is a confusion of color and spiritual activity.