Swayambhunath

Swayambhunath crowns a hill on the western edge of Kathmandu and is one of the oldest religious sites in the valley, sacred to both Buddhists and Hindus. The white dome carries a gilded square tower painted on each face with a pair of eyes and a curl between them that represents the number one in Nepali script, a symbol of unity. Prayer flags run down the hill in every direction, butter lamps burn in the shrines, and the whole complex is circumambulated clockwise past rows of prayer wheels. The eastern approach is a stairway of several hundred steep steps, and the resident rhesus macaques that gave it the nickname Monkey Temple line the route. From the platform, the whole valley lies below in the haze.

History

The Swayambhu Purana tells that the valley was once a lake in which the Buddha Vipassi sowed a lotus that blossomed into a self-arisen light, Swayambhu, until Manjushri drained the lake with his sword so that people could worship it. Tradition says the Emperor Ashoka came here in the 3rd century BC with his teacher Upagupta and his daughter Charumati, who married the Nepalese prince Devapala, and the Licchavi kings added stupas; the Gopalarajavamsavali says King Vrsadeva, great-grandfather of Manadeva, carried out much rebuilding, and a damaged inscription records work he ordered. Pratap Malla, the powerful king of Kathmandu, built the eastern stairway in the 17th century, in 1979 the site became a World Heritage Site, and it was damaged in the earthquake of April 2015 (Wikipedia, Swayambhunath).

What's there

• The painted eyes - the gilded tower with its watching eyes on all four sides.
• The prayer wheel circuit - the clockwise walk around the stupa base.
• The eastern stairway - several hundred steep steps lined with monkeys and stone figures.
• The valley view - Kathmandu spread out below from the platform.

When to go

October to November for the clearest air, when the mountains occasionally show behind the valley. Early morning brings worshippers, butter lamps and mist; sunset is popular for the view but crowded.

What to expect

The monkeys are bold and will take food, bags and sunglasses; keep everything closed and do not eat on the steps. The stairway is steep enough to be a genuine effort, though a road reaches the western side for anyone who needs it. Kathmandu's air quality often reduces the view to grey haze, and the site was damaged in 2015 with repairs still evident.

Nearby

Kathmandu Durbar Square and Thamel are a short ride east; Boudhanath is across the city.

Key facts