"Swayambhunath Stupa" => Kathmandu valley

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Swayambhunath Stupa.... watches over the Valley from the top of a hillock on its western side just three kilometres west of the city centre. The stupa is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal and its establishment is linked to the creation of the Kathmandu Valley out of a primordial lake. Swayambhu is also known as Samhengu. It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in parts of the temple in the north-west.. It is also one of the oldest and glorious Buddhist shrines in the world which is said to be two thousand years. The four sides of the stupa is painted with the eyes of Lord Buddha and the temple is also known as the watchful eyes of Buddha.

Mythology behind this stupa is rather fascinating. If you can manage to get hold of the head of the temple, he will give you a earful story. You believe it or not, just keep nodding and raise your eyes brows now and then to show him that you acknowledge his knowledge.

Here it is what I can remember.

According to Swayambhu Purana, the entire valley was once filled with an enormous lake, out of which grew a lotus. The valley came to be known as Swayambhu, meaning "Self-Created." The name comes from an eternal self-existent flame over which a stupa was later built.

Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in parts of the temple in the north-west. They are holy because Manjushree, the bodhisattva of wisdom and learning was raising the hill which the Swayambhunath Temple stands on. He was supposed to leave his hair short but he made it grow long and head lice grew. It is said that the head lice had transformed into these monkeys. Be attentive as these holy monkeys can be very dangerous. Avoid eating or drinking while you are climbing the steps. Don't try to hit them with any anything as it can be seen a very offensive behaviour.

The Bodhisatva Manjushri had a vision of the lotus at Swayambhu and traveled there to worship it. Seeing that the valley can be good settlement and to make the site more accessible to human pilgrims, Manjushri cut a gorge at the place called Chovar. The water drained out of the lake, leaving the valley in which Kathmandu now lies. The lotus was transformed into a hill and the flower become the Swayambhunath stupa.

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