Nepal Pilgrimage

The stupa of Namo Buddha is dedicated to a young prince who sacraficied himself to a starving tiger and her cubs.

The stupa of Namo Buddha lies on a hiltop on the edge of a forrest a few hours walking from Dhulikhel. Close to stupa is monestry where you can enjoy some nice views, see how the monks life and who know drink a cup of tea with them and have some religious or other conversation. 

Legends of Namo Buddha

There are many legends around the Namo Buddha stupa, this is one of them.

Long ago there was king Maharata who had three sons; Maha Prashad, Maha Deva and Mahasattva. One day the sons go hiking into the forrest and see a starving tiger. Sad but not knowing what to do they return to the palace. One of them returns. Goes to the tiger takes of his cloths and offers himself to her. The tiger refuses to eat him. Knowing that the cubs will die if they don't eat him he kills himself after which the tiger feeds herself and the cubs with his body. 

The mother of the prince is very sad when he doesn't come back. When they searched for him all they find  is some hairs and bones. Hearing the story from his sons the King erects a stupa to let future generations know about his remarkable deed. Inside the stuppa should be the relics of the prince.

A little bit longer version of the story how Mahasattva offered himself to the tiger can be found here.

In other versions a bodhisattva offers himself to the tiger because she wants to eat a small boy. 

These kind of stories are called Jataka's stories about previous births of the buddha. 

Sources: Born in Nepal, A Miscellany of Buddhist Stories, Legends and Traditions