Is he a reincarnation of Buddha? In Nepal's terai jungles, close to the Indian border, lives a 21-year-old believed by many to be the Buddha himself, reborn in this age. In this young man, devotees see the arrival of the Maitreya Buddha, a figure foretold in Buddhist scriptures as a successor to the legendary Buddha.

Ram Bahadur Bomzan, alternatively known as Palden Dorjee Tamang, counts among his devotees prominent Lamas, according to whom Tamang has given all indications of being a Bodhisattva, or an enlightened being, according to Buddhist traditions.