This cache will lead you through the old streets of Patan on a chase of the four largest Buddah statues in the center of town. The starting point (this cache's coordinates) is the Mahabuddha Temple, the Adobe of Thousand Buddha.
Built in the Indian shikhara style, the shrine takes its name from the hundreds of terracotta tiles that cover it, each bearing an image of the Buddha. The temple dates from the 16th century and is well worth the 50 cents required to visit it up close.
The Four Stage Buddha Trail
All four stages are nearby, and the final cache is not far from Patan Dokha. Keep your eye on the map as you will walk by other caches on the way.
All four stages' coordinates are in the form of N 27° 40.AAA' E 85° 19.BBB'
Although you should definitely visit the temple, the start of this trail does not require you to actually enter the temple. At the entrance, where the ticket office is, there is a panel on the right side of the door providing some historical background about the temple. Find the starting year of construction (1XXX) and the year of the first reconstruction (1YYY).
Stage 1 Buddha
The formula to find Stage 1 is: AAA=YYY-XXX-200 BBB=YYY-311.
It is located in a courtyard inside one city block with no direct vehicle access. The fun of finding this very large Yellow Buddha statue is to explore the small alleyways, doors, passages, and courtyards of the centuries-old city of Patan. This labyrinth was conceived to prevent attacking armies from being able to take the city and allow for the inhabitants to flee. GPS signal will be difficult until you get near the destination, but keep exploring and you will eventually get there. The courtyard has at least 4 different entry points. Do not worry about the locals, they are used to seeing tourists wonder around and they can help with directions if you want. Remember that only the homes are private and all of the passage ways are actually public. DO NOT ATTEMPT AT NIGHT!
Once you have located the Yellow Buddha, look for the dedication plaque on the back of the statue. At the beginning of the second line, there is a 4 digit number in Nepali. Using the translation table below, find the value XXXX in Arabic numbers.
Stage 2 Buddha
The formula to find Stage 2 is: AAA=(XXXX+114)/4 BBB=(XXXX/2)-16.
It is a large brown Buddha located along a very busy street near the Durbar Square. Once you have found the statue, look for the earth globe and find the donors list below the South American continent. At the end of the second line, there is a Nepali number if the form of XXX00|. Using the translation table above, find the value XXX in Arabic numbers.
Stage 3 Buddha
The formula to find Stage 3 is: AAA=(XXX*3)-53 BBB=(XXX*2)+43.
It is a large monolithic black Buddha located in probably the nicest and largest community courtyard in Patan. There are several entrances to the courtyard but the GPS signal should be strong enough to guide you to the statue. On the left side of the base of teh Buddha, there is a plaque with golden letters. On the last line of text, the first Nepali number is in the form of XXYY. Using the translation table above, find the value XX and YY in Arabic numbers.
Stage 4 Buddha
The formula to find Stage 4 is: AAA=(XX*27)+4 BBB=(YY*11)-1.
It is a large very ornate Buddha statue painted in natural colors in the middle of a beautiful Buddhist shrine. Please admire all the various arts of work and spiritual symbols around the statue. On the back of the statue there is a series of plaques with donors' names. At the bottom right of the very last plaque, the last inscription is a 7 digit Nepali number in the form of YYYYXXX. Using the translation table above, find the value XXX in Arabic numbers.
Physical Cache
The formula to find the actual cache is: AAA=(XXX-132) BBB=(XXX/2)+24.
These coordinates should lead you about 30 meters away and to the entrance of a narrow passage out of the courtyard. It is marked "Patan Tours". This is a busy pathway so you will have to be discreet. Enter the passage...
This place is being maintained as part of the Clean and Green initiative and the cache container keeps getting cleaned! Until I can fabricate a new one, we will have to make due with this: Go through the passage, one out on the other side, turn around and find this sign.
Above the sign on the wooden beam there is an inscription written in black marker that starts with the letters "XO". Message me the next 3 digits and you can log the cache.