Why Buddhists Walk Clockwise Around Stupa

I first learned about walking clockwise around a Buddhist stupa in 1983. It was my first trip to Nepal to meet my wife’s family in Kathmandu, and one early morning I found myself in the middle of the Gunla festival celebrations at dawn.

This sacred month, usually falling around August, is a deeply important time for many Buddhists in the Kathmandu Valley. Hundreds of devotees gather before sunrise and circumambulate the great stupa of Swayambhunath in an atmosphere filled with incense, prayer, bells, and chanting.

At that time I had absolutely no idea what was happening or what I was supposed to do. I simply followed the crowd.

Customs and Rituals

During that first visit, my wife and her family patiently explained many Buddhist customs and rituals to me. Some involved simple and complex puja performed when arriving at or leaving homes, during births and marriages, and on important holy days. Others related to the importance of keeping sacred objects — stupas, statues, mani walls, shrines, and prayer wheels — on your right-hand side as a sign of reverence and harmony with Buddhist tradition.

On my recent trip back to Nepal, these practices felt completely natural. More than anything, they felt respectful.

I walked around the stupa Buddhist stupa of Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Namo Buddha, keeping the prayer wheels to my right and touching them only with my right hand. Like many pilgrims and devotees, I circled each stupa three times.

But why do Buddhists walk clockwise around a stupa?

The Ultimate Sign of Respect at Buddhist Stupa

In Buddhist tradition, the right side is considered the honoured side. To keep a sacred object on your right is a physical expression of reverence.

Circumambulation — walking around a holy object — is therefore not simply exercise or ritual movement. It is an act of devotion. The stupa becomes the spiritual centre, while the practitioner mindfully moves around it with humility and awareness.

Following the Cosmic Path

Many Buddhists also see clockwise movement as reflecting the natural order of the universe. The apparent movement of the sun across the sky from east to west was traditionally understood as a clockwise motion when observed ceremonially.

Walking clockwise symbolises harmony with cosmic order, balance, and the rhythm of existence itself.

Accumulating Merit and Karma

Circumambulating sacred places is also believed to generate merit — positive spiritual energy accumulated through wholesome actions and intention.

In Buddhism, karma is shaped not only by actions, but by the motivation behind them. Walking mindfully around a stupa while reciting mantras, turning prayer wheels, or contemplating compassion is considered spiritually beneficial for oneself and for all beings.

Symbolic of the Path to Enlightenment

The circular journey around a Buddhist stupa can also represent the Buddhist path itself.

Again and again, the practitioner returns to mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion. The stupa remains the still centre — symbolic of enlightenment — while human beings continue their spiritual journey around it.

Even a simple walk can become meditation.

Mani Walls in the Himalaya

During time spent trekking in the Himalaya, I often encountered mani walls built directly into village paths and mountain trails. These long stone walls are carved with sacred mantras, especially Om Mani Padme Hum.

Guides would carefully watch foreign trekkers approaching them. It was always slightly amusing to see a guide suddenly grab an unsuspecting trekker and gently steer them to the correct side of the wall so that they passed respectfully in the clockwise direction.

For local people, this was not superstition or empty ritual. It was simply part of living respectfully within a sacred landscape.

And perhaps that is what I eventually learned myself.

At first I followed the crowd because I did not understand.

Now I walk clockwise around a Buddhist stupa because, in some small way, I finally do.

Time to connect 👉 Nepal Pilgrimage.