Swayambunath

     Located just west of Kathmandu on a hill top 300 feet above the valley floor, is one of the most venerated Buddhist shrines, the Swayambhu stupa. It has been a sacred place for over 1,600 years, but it's spiritual significance dates much further back. According to the prevailing myth, the foundation of the stupa dates back to a primordial time unrelated to chronological history. At this time, the valley floor was a giant lake filled with water, but towards the west end of the lake, there was a small island upon which was a giant lotus flower. Myths tell of a primordial Buddha named Swayambhu Jyotirupa ('self-manifest in the form of light') who came and manifested himself on the flower in the form of a lotus born flame, or, according to different versions, as a crystal image emanating from the lotus of 10,000 golden petals and encrusted with jewels. Once the Bodhisattva Manjushri heard about the Buddha on the island, he came to the lake from Tibet to see the Buddha. Because he couldn't see the Buddha clearly from the shore of the lake, Manjushri took his sword and cut a rift in the southern edge of the valley to drain the lake. This rift is seen in the narrow Chobar gorge at the southern end of the valley that indeed looks like it was cut by a huge sword. Once the lake was drained, people could approach the remaining hill and worship Swayambhu up close. Subsequently, another bodhisattva named Vajrasattva came to the valley and enclosed Swayambhu Jyotirupa in stone in order to protect it from evil at the onset of the Age of Degeneracy called Kali Yug. And then later on, another monk named Shantikara Acharya came and raised the stupa over the stone protecting the hidden flame, and had five shrines built around it. These five shrines are known as the "Five Mansions."

     In more tangible historical terms, the stupa is usually dated back to the reign of the Licchavi king Vrishadeva during the 4th century. The resulting stupa is actually thought to be simply an accretion of several layers that probably encase the original structure, and it has been restored and several times. Inscriptions say that the first restoration was made around 1129, but Sthiti Malla did the most noticeable restoration in 1372 when he repaired the damages left by forces of Shams-uddin Ilyas in 1349. This is probably when the Five Mansions were actually added to the memorial. Several other repairs were made by successive rulers, and continued maintenance, elaboration, and embellishment has occurred over the centuries. 

     An interesting quality of the stupa is the large number of monkeys that occupy the grounds. Swinging around the surrounding trees and climbing all over the stupas, a tribe of monkeys protects the grounds, as well as amuses any visitors to the stupa.