Buddha Chitta seeds change rural NepalCEFR A1
2 Nov 2025
Adapted from Sonia Awale, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Shreyashka Maharjan, Unsplash
Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
2 min
76 words
- A new market for Buddha Chitta seeds changed rural Nepal villages.
- The plant is Buddha Chitta (Ziziphus budhensis).
- It grows around Kanpur in Kavre, central Nepal.
- Kanpur is about 56 kilometers from Kathmandu city.
- People make beads from seeds for a Buddhist prayer mala.
- Prices rose after the Dalai Lama spoke in Taiwan.
- One-faced beads and 7–8 mm beads are the rarest.
- A 108-bead mala can cost NPR 1.5 million, a high price.
Difficult words
- seed — Part of a plant that can grow.seeds
- farm — People who grow crops or raise animals.farmers
- money — What people use to buy things.
- valuable — Something that has a lot of worth.
- region — An area or part of a country.
- special — Different from what is usual.
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- What do you think makes a seed special?
- Have you ever seen a prayer necklace?
- Why do people find value in seeds?
