Located in a lovely little hill rock Swoyambhu Nath
Stupa middle of city is one of the most fascinating
architectural jewels of the world. This great Stoup
is said to have been built around 250 B.C.
Generally a holy memorial site Stoup represents a
typical Buddhist architecture. Its main feature the
white dome is identified with a spotless pure jewel
of Nirvana and a thirteen tiered golden spire in conical
shape surmounted on the dome. Underneath this towering
structure are a pair of all seeing eyes of Buddha
painted on all four sides of the Stupa.
The Stupa of Swoyambhunath stands on a typically stylized
lotus mandala base-a long time ago believed to have
originated from a legendary lake of Kathmandu Valley.
As the ancient legend goes Kathmandu Valley was a
lake a long time ago. Right in the centre of this
lake was a full blown lotus with the divine light
a top. When Maha Manjushri a saint from China heard
about this he came rushing all the way from China
to the Valley. He cut through the southern wall hill
of the valley with his divine sword. The cleft made
by the sword immediately drained the entire lake water
making the valley floor open for a close up view of
the divine lotus light.
This holy site in fact is the massive stupa complex
ever built in Nepal. Hundreds of votive shrines and
other historical monuments built in and around this
stupa speak a lot about the significance and antiquity
of this famed stupa.
It lies about 3k.m. west of down town Kathmandu.
There are two different ways to reach for this site.
One is from the west side which is relatively a short
cut and another is from the east side where it leads
to the main entrance with 360 steps leading all the
way to the top, where the most venerated Swayambhu
Stupa stands-commanding a magnificent view of Kathmandu
Valley and the breathtaking panorama of the north
eastern Himalayan range.
Other important things to be seen here include a
magnificent two tiered golden temple dedicated to
Harati. She is the grand mother deity of children
and small pox who was said to be the Ogress until
Lord Buddha converted her to be the great caretaker
of the children.
Not to far from this temple is Dewa Dharma monastery-noted
for a bronze icon of Buddha and traditional Tibetan
paintings .
The huge gold plated vajra ' tha priestly symbol
of Vajrayana Buddhism set on the Dharmadhatu mandala
at the side of the stupa is worth a close look.
Important to visit
