Budha Subba Temple(Nepali:बुढा सुब्बा मन्दिर) is a renowned sacred shrine located at Bijayapur, Dharan-14, Sunsari District, Koshi Province, Nepal. It is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in eastern Nepal and is revered by Kirati, Hindu, Buddhist, and other communities. The shrine is famous for its sacred tipless bamboo grove, earthen altar, and long-standing tradition of offering prayers for good fortune, prosperity, and the fulfilment of wishes. Unlike many temples, the principal object of worship is an earthen sacred mound rather than an anthropomorphic idol. The temple is closely associated with the historical landscape of Bijayapur, the former capital of the Sen Kingdom.Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City. Dharan Tourism Booklet. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).Budhasubba, Sunsari. (Official tourism description of the shrine and its Kirati associations.)
History
Scholars generally agree that the shrine is ancient and stands within the historic capital of the Sen Kingdom of Bijayapur, although its exact origin remains uncertain. Iman Xin Chemjong, in History and Culture of the Kirat People, identified Budha Subba with Buddhikarna Rai (Buddhikarna Raya), the Dewan and effective political leader of Bijayapur before the Gorkha conquest, suggesting that his resting place later became a sacred shrine. Kumar Pradhan, in The Gorkha Conquests, documents Buddhikarna Rai's historical role as the chief administrator of Bijayapur, providing the political context for this interpretation, though he does not state that the shrine is definitively his tomb. Anthropologists Martin Gaenszle, Alban von Stockhausen, Marion Wettstein, and researchers at the University of Vienna interpret Budha Subba primarily as an ancient Kirati ancestral and ritual shrine, emphasizing its importance in Kirati religious tradition and oral history rather than linking it conclusively to a single historical figure. Likewise, Dharan Sub Metropolitan City heritage publications recognize Budha Subba as a major historical and religious site and record the local tradition associating it with Buddhikarna Rai while acknowledging the existence of multiple origin traditions. Therefore, the available historical and scholarly evidence establishes Budha Subba as an ancient Kirati sacred site at Bijayapur, whereas its identification with Buddhikarna Rai should be understood as a respected historical tradition supported by some historians and local memory.Iman Singh Chemjong, History and Culture of the Kirat People Kumar Pradhan, The Gorkha Conquests: The Process and Consequences of the Unification of Nepal University of Vienna, Ritual, Space, Mimesis among the Rai of Eastern Nepal Documenta Nepalica (National Archives of Nepal), for documents relating to Bijayapur, Rai officials, and the Sen–Shah transition.
Mythology Budha Subba Temple at Bijayapur, Dharan is associated with several Kirati myths and folk traditions. According to Iman Singh Chemjong, Budha Subba is linked to Buddhikarna Rai , the Dewan of Bijayapur, whose spirit came to be revered after his death. Another legend says Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, disguised as the Kirati king Theba Sammang and queen Yuma Sammang, left their bows at Bijayapur, which became the temple's famous tipless bamboo grove. The shrine is traditionally served by Magar priests, reflecting the region's long history of shared religious practices among Kirati and neighbouring communities. Anthropologists interpret Budha Subba primarily as an ancient Kirati ancestral shrine preserved through oral tradition rather than established historical fact.Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). Information on Budha Subba Temple and its cultural significance. Ethnographic sources on the Magar community note that Magar priests have traditionally served at Budha Subba Temple,
Bamboo writings and threads In the vicinity of the temple, initially there was a trend of writing on the bamboo tree. The young men who came to visit the temple would return only by writing a name on bamboo as it is believed that writing the name of lovers will give success in their love. But, the temple committee has stopped the name writings on the bamboo as the name writings of the bamboo hampered the growth of the bamboo with the increase in bamboo writings. Nowadays, lovers tie sacred threads to the bamboo after worshiping Budha subba. The translation is as follows. "Will go to Budha Subba to write on bamboo trees today! How long should I stay thinking that you will come...
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