The Swayambhunath Temple
Swayambhunath is one of the most ancient and holy Buddhist sites in the Kathmandu valley. It sits on a prominent hill that is visible from throughout Kathmandu. If you are familiar with Kathmandu, you also may have heard Swayambhunath called the Monkey Temple because of the troupe of monkeys that lives there. As with most Buddhist temples, there is a large white stupa that dominates the center of the site. Each side of the Swayambhunath Stupa has an ornate set of eyes that symbolize God's all-seeing perspective. Between the eyes is a stylized representation of the number one in the Nepali alphabet, signifying that Buddhism is the path to enlightenment.
Swayambhunath is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal. By the 5th century, it had already become an important destination for Buddhist pilgrims. The history of the site itself dates back to long before the arrival of Buddhism in the Kathmandu valley. According to legend, the Buddha planted of a miraculous lotus that blossomed from the lake that once covered Kathmandu valley. The lotus radiated a brilliant light that elightened the saints and divinities that that traveled to the site. Bodhisatva Manjushri cut a gorge in the mountains surrounding the lake to allow humans to make the pilgrimage to the site. The water drained away leaving the Kathmandu valley and the light of the lotus was transformed into the sacred site of the Swayambhunath Stupa.
Nepali religious traditions are a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism. Swayambhunath's pilgims include Hindus as well as Buddhists from Tibet and Nepal. Each morning before dawn, pilgrims ascend the 365 steps that lead up the hill, file past the gilded religious images and two lions guarding the entrance, and begin a series of clockwise circuits of the stupa.
