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Past Continuity and Recent Changes in the Ritual Practice of Newar Buddhism: Reflections on the Impact of Tibetan Buddhism and the Advent of Modernity

This chapter presents some general observations regarding recent shifts in religious, particularly ritual, practice in the Newar Buddhist tradition of the kathmandu Valley. It provides a brief overview of the ways in which Tibetans and Newars have interacted over the centuries when renovating the Svayambhūcaitya, the most sacred shrine for the Buddhists of kathmandu. The chapter argues that while the patterns of sponsorship of these renovations changed in significant ways, this does not apply to the rituals performed in their course, starting with the deconsecration of the dilapidated structure and concluding with the reconsecration of the rebuilt caitya . The sociopolitical transformation of Nepal since the opening of the country in 1950 has had a profound impact upon Newar Buddhism. The chapter examines the changes that as a result have recently begun to emerge in ritual practice. Keywords: caitya ; Kathmandu; Newar Buddhism; ritual practice; Tibetans