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Swayambhunath is one of the oldest and most famous holy religious sites in Kathmandu. It is located on the top hill of Kathmandu valley, 3km west of Kathmandu city and a distance of 4.8 km from the center of Kathmandu. This place is admired by both Hindus and Buddhists. It is believed that it was built by king Manadeva date back to 460A.D. The official name of Swayambhunath is “Sawayambhu maha chaitya”. However, its first registered name was Singru-vihara-chaitya-bhatjarika. The real meaning of the word Swayambhunath is “self-manifested” and “self-existing”. It is the best site in Kathmandu for tourists.
Why swayambhunath called monkey temple?
Swayambhunath is also known as the “Monkey Temple .”A Group of monkeys lived in the northwestern part of the Swayambhunath temple for generations. Swayambhunath stupa is surrounded by green forest and prayer flags, where we can see how they were swinging from tree to tree, hanging in prayer flags. The green forest is suitable habitat for monkeys and provides an appropriate environment for them to live in. With time, the population of monkeys is also increasing. So we can easily see the troop of monkeys.
Architecture
The base of the stupa is cube-shaped. There is a pentagon-shaped Toran with a pair of eyes on all four sides of the stupa, representing God omnipresent. The thirteen pinnacles on the top of the stupa symbolize that people have to go through the thirteen stages of spiritual realizations to reach enlightenment. The large pairs of eyes are structured on the four sides of the main stupa, symbolizing wisdom.
Story of Swayambhunath
A bodhisattva Manjushri said he had a dream of a lotus blooming in a valley. He reached the Kathmandu valley to find the same lotus he saw in his dream. He cut the lotus, and the lotus magically changed into the swayambhunath stupa. For this reason, this stupa named swayambhunath temple “self-existing.”
Temples inside Swayambhunath stupa
Harati Devi temple- This temple is dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Harati. The structure of the temple is built in a big pagoda style. It is believed that Harati is the suppressor of chickenpox. People mostly come here for praying the excellent health of their children. They mainly served rice, bread, fruits to God.
Shantipur is a box-shaped temple where Shanti Sri locked herself in a dome since the 5th century. He vowed to live inside the dome until the villagers of Kathmandu needed him. In the 17th century, when villagers were in trouble due to drought, king Pratap Mella went to Shanti Sri’s room for help. He stated that there were many frightening obstacles in his way, like snakes, ghosts, hawks, etc.; when he reached the last room, he found the saint alive and meditating. The saint gave the king antiques, bringing immediate rain to the village.
Pratapur and Anantapur– Pratapur and Anantapur are the two temples in bullet shape. The earthquakes highly damaged these temples in 2015 April. The reconstruction of this temple is underway and trying to make like before.
Shree Karma Raj Mahavihar– Karma raja Mahavihara is a monastery of Karma Kagyu on the northern side of Swayambhu stupa. In the early 1970s, the 16th Karmapa lived here and conducted unique empowerment teachings for several months. Later, Monastery continued the traditional monastic curriculum and meditation practices on the path shown by him. The monks also perform rituals every morning at 3 pm or 4 pm.
Vajra- Vajra is the first thing you see when you go up to the Swayambhu stupa. It is a gold-plated legendary weapon or thunderbolt in Buddhism and Hinduism. This is the iconic Vajrayana Buddhism symbol.
Saraswati mandir is dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Saraswati; prayer wheels and bells surround this temple. People come here to pray for learning, knowledge, and good concentration.
Festivals celebrated at Swayambhunath.
Two main festivals are celebrated in the swayambhunath temple: Buddha Jayanti and Lothar. Many people gather this time, and the monks create a lotus pattern on the stupa with saffron-colored paint.
Prayer wheels in Swyambhunath
You can find many prayer wheels around the swayambhunath area. This prayer wheel contains prayers and mantras. It is believed that the prayer or mantra is repeated each time the wheel turns. A hollow cylinder inside the prayer wheel has a tightly scrolled paper full of handwritten mantras. Prayers wheel accumulate merit and purify the karma.
I highly recommend you visit the Swayambhunath temple once you visit Nepal. This place is highly facilitated with big hotels at reasonable prices and an easy transportation system. Once you come here, it brings inner peace and harmony to your life.
