Discovering the Quiet Guardian of Boudhanath: The Spiritual Legacy of Ma Ajima

Boudhanath Stupa is a beloved space located in Kathmandu, offering a site of realization and refuge for countless devotees and visitors each year. The massive dome, inscribed with the eyes of a Buddha, and the prayer wheels create a sense of peace. Among the guardian deities of Boudhanath Stupa, Ma Ajima will be easily ignored in the company of the representatives of the religion, as well as the grand layout of the building itself. While she may be less known to outsiders or visitors who do not have connections to the local Newar communities, she offers loving care and spiritual protection, safeguarding the stupa, banishing any negative energy, and blessing each arrival to this sacred space. She is not a central figure in Buddhist traditions, yet her connection with the Boudhanath Stupa is deep and changes how people experience the stupa in their daily lives.

Ma Ajima represents the link between the physical world and the divine, as manifested through the space and surroundings of Boudhanath Stupa, which ultimately contributes to the richness of the spiritual heritage in the Kathmandu cultural landscape.

Who is Ma Ajima?

Ma Ajima (Photo from Wikicommon)

Ma Ajima is not just an individual but is rather a religious concept or image. When speaking of Boudhanath, she is seen as a guardian spirit who takes care of the stupa and the place around it. Due to her appearance in numerous local narratives and temple-based events, she is regarded as a benevolent deity. In the form of her spirit, she serves as a protective measure over the temple. The Newar, the people who hold a large amount of the history and spiritual beliefs connected to the stupa, hold her in very high esteem. The name “Ajima” signifies importance. “Aji” translates to "elder woman" and is associated with motherly care, while “Ma” translates to "mother." Therefore, it would be appropriate to consider Ma Ajima, or Ajima, as an embodiment of Ma Elder, or Grandmother Protector, which is the figure of wisdom, mother love, and protection.

Origin and Historical Significance of Ma Ajima

(Photo from Nepal Trek Adventure)

Ma Ajima is a vital protector goddess in the Newar culture of the Kathmandu Valley, especially in the Boudhanath Stupa, which is an essential place in the Buddhist tradition. The Newar people, the original inhabitants of the valley, have a cultural context that uniquely brings together systems of Buddhism and Hinduism. Local stories tell us that she was born with the creation of the stupa; she was invoked as a strong female guardian spirit who was to protect the holy space from evil. Her name, which means "Mother Elder" or "Grandmother Protector," reflects her dual nature as both protective and nurturing. Thus, her worship transcended the Newar community and was adopted by the broader religious practices of both Buddhists and Hindus at Boudhanath.  

Ma Ajima represents feminine divineness within a highly masculine religious world. She is a symbol of nurturing, wisdom, and compassion, and this is the reason why she is important, particularly to women who desire good health, success, and guidance. Her importance is also an indicator of how the community is associated with the divine. While not widely known elsewhere in the Buddhist world, she remains deeply involved in what visitors encounter at the stupa. Local festivals, rituals, and offerings sustain her memory. Her enduring presence unites the physical and spiritual aspects of the sacred landscape encircling Kathmandu.

The Story Behind Ma Ajima’s Reverence

The history of worshiping Ma Ajima is steeped in tradition, and it is believed to date back to the time when the Boudhanath Stupa was being constructed. Local belief holds that there were enormous spiritual powers in the area around the stupa, which, once built, required a benevolent spirit to protect, direct, and generally look after them. 

A fascinating aspect of Ma Ajima's story is her assumption of the guardian role after the stupa was completed. Traditionally, she is the friendly spirit who is supposed to drive out the evil energies and forces, hence keeping the stupa pure and the surrounding free of evil powers, and is often called upon during special rituals and community events to bless the stupa and its visitors.

Ma Ajima’s Influence in Boudhanath

Boudhanath is engulfed in the deep presence of Ma Ajima. She is more than a religion; she has become the heartbeat of the local Newar community. Her influence goes far beyond rituals and prayers. She turned out to be a representation of power and the embodiment of spiritual security among the citizens. Although she may not visually occupy center stage, the feeling she creates can be felt most strongly in the deeply ingrained devotion and respect of the community. 

• Corner shrines and offerings to Ma Ajima are in less conspicuous places around the stupa. Specifically, at Sakimana, when Newar festivals and celebrations are rife, families around the community are usually willing to offer fruits, flowers, and incense to receive her blessings of prosperity and protection.

• Ma Ajima is the symbol of the feminine power amidst the patriarchal society, the spirit of motherly love, and supremacy. This condition resonates with her women followers as they seek her advice. 

• Ma Ajima occupies an essential part of the Newar tradition; her reach is also meaningful to Tibetan Buddhists who visit Boudhanath. It is a significant pilgrimage site for Tibetans. They also come to honor Ma Ajima in recognition of her role in protecting their temple site.

Spiritual Practice Involving Ma Ajima

(Photo from Wikicommon)

Ma Ajima, a highly revered protective spirit, is a significant feature at Boudhanath Stupa, which is an essential site in the everyday spiritual lives of those who live in proximity to it. The community has shown its respect through gifts, offerings, prayers, and contemplative practices, seeking her guidance and protection.

1. Rituals and Offerings:

Practitioners offer incense, flowers, food, and butter lamps in the shrines that are dedicated to Ma Ajima, and they are located near the Boudhanath Stupa. These involve presents made to honor and to indicate that they desire her to bless them.

2. Chanting and Prayer:

The other type of exercise that is usually carried out by the devotees is the chanting of prayers and mantras in front of Ma Ajima. This is carried out to seduce her protection and counseling, mind cleansing, and calling on spiritual gifts.

3. Meditation:

Practitioners meditate on her nurturing and protective nature, using visualization to access her energy. They hope to gain inner peace. 

4. Ceremonial celebrations:

Rituals like Sakimana are part of festivals dedicated to Ma Ajima, and these are intended to obtain her blessings for the community and also for individual health.

5. Communal worship:

The stupa is the location of working with other individuals in the process of prayer and ritual, which reaffirms the role of Ma Ajima in the protection of the stupa and the people around it.

6. Personal offerings and vows:

Others also testify to giving their own vows or offerings to Ma Ajima, in the hope they will get more support, protection, and guidance on their spiritual path.

Modern Interpretation of Ma Ajima 

(Photo from Heavenhimalaya)

In an era more overtly marked by modernity and the erasure of the past, Ma Ajima provides a gentle counterpoint. She represents the sacredness of particular spaces, the strength of the feminine, and the power of spiritual heritage. She is not interested in being in the spotlight. Her strength lies in her quiet presence, unlike the Buddha's gaze that draws attention. Ma Ajima's guardianship is a private matter, much as countless women have defended their families and communities throughout time, without any belief or interest in receiving recognition or credit. She illustrates that true spirituality need not be visually spectacular. It can take the form of a quiet, reserved force, simply a guardian of a sacred place. It's the unassuming comfort that comes over you when entering a place like Boudhanath and feeling safe. In her, we discover that connection between the sacred and the mundane, the global and the local.

That is why her story is so enduring. It's not simply her important celebrity, but the fact that her spirit continues to be present in the everyday spiritual practices of her devotees. Ma Ajima is not just a historical figure. A spiritual educator, she brings us back to the significance of piety, defense, and ancestral knowledge in an era that is on the verge of imploring everything of that.

Conclusion: Celebrating Ma Ajima's Subtle Influence

Ma Ajima is crucial because she is not a god who wants to be known. Her quiet strength remains unrecognized, under the robust stupa of Boudhanath and under the gaze of the Buddha. She offers unseen protection—gentle, steady, and woven into the stupa's fabric. To the Newar and many others who come here to worship, she is not simply an artifact of history nor just a form of protection, but is alive and vibrating. Even after her death, her presence continues to influence how people pray, congregate, and seek solace in this area.

Ma Ajima is something more durable and with more substance in a culture where time is fast and connection with the divine can seem like a transient or even an absent thing. She encourages us to keep in mind that the sacred often resides in the silence: in the ceremonies, in the prayers under the breath, and in the silent power that holds sacred space together. Her story is not about spectacle but about simply being present. Her presence, where we find reverence, where we create strength, and where we connect with the still, slumbering power of our ancestors, still pulsates in the core of Kathmandu.