Swayambhunath

 

Swayambhunath is located in kathmandu,capital of Nepal which is one of the most popular, holy and instantly recognizable symbols of Nepal.It is also known as the Monkey Temple as there are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple. Its lofty white dome and glittering golden spire are visible for many miles and from all sides of the valley. Historical records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century AD.For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, it is second only to Boudhanath.It consists of a stupa, a variety of shrines and temples.Tibetan monastery, museum and library are more recent additions.Amazing to look at, the architectural beauty of Swayambunath Temple gives way to the feelings of reverence and adoration. The stupa consists of a dome at the base and a cubical structure with eyes of Buddha looking in all the four directions. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on. Between them, there is something painted which looks like the nose. There are also shops, restaurants and hostels. It has two access points: a long stairway, claimed to have 365 steps, leading directly to the main platform of the temple, which is from the top of the hill to the east; and a car road around the hill from the south.

History of Swayambhunath

 When this temple was founded about 2,000 years ago, Kathmandu Valley was filled with a great lake. According to Buddhist legend, a single perfect lotus grew in the center of the lake. .The valley came to be known as Swayambhu, meaning 'Self-Created' or 'Self-Existent'. The Bodhistava Manjushri had a vision of the lotus at Swayambhu and traveled there to worship it. In order to make the site more accessible to human pilgrims, When the bodhisattva Manjusri drained the lake with a slash of his sword, the lotus flower settled on top of the hill and magically transformed into the stupa. Thus it is known as the Self-Created (swayambhu) Stupa. It is considered Buddhist, the place is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. Numerous king Hindu followers are known to have paid their homage to the temple, including Pratap Malla, the powerful king of Kathmandu, who is responsible for the construction of the eastern stairway in the 17th century.

 How to reach swayambhunath?

from airport

Once you know where is swayambhunath then you can plan to visit there. If you are somebody who just came from Airport and want to go there, then if you are taking a cab or taxi it will take maximum  1hours to reach there.You would be able to find plenty of vehicles around there.  There are two ways to reach the top of the monkey temple: the first and the most common is to get there with a car but the most beautiful way to reach the top of this amazing temple is to climb the 365 stairs of the temple.