Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple)

Swayambhunath is one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal, a hilltop stupa complex on a wooded knoll west of central Kathmandu. Its name comes from the Sanskrit svayambhu, 'self-existent' or 'self-arisen', reflecting the belief that the site arose spontaneously rather than being founded by a single builder. The earliest firm evidence of activity is a damaged stone inscription recording reconstruction work ordered by the Licchavi king Vrishadeva in the early 5th century; popular tradition attributes the stupa's establishment to King Manadeva around 460 CE, making it the oldest stupa of its kind in the country.

The site's mythic origin is told in the Swayambhu Purana, a Newar Buddhist scripture. According to the legend the Kathmandu Valley was once a vast lake from which a single luminous lotus arose, radiating a self-existent flame of pure light. The bodhisattva Manjushri, seeing the light from afar, travelled to the valley and cut a gorge through the surrounding hills with his sword so the lake could drain, leaving the fertile valley dry and habitable. The hill on which the lotus had rested became Swayambhu, and the eternal flame was later enshrined beneath the stupa. The gorge of the story is traditionally identified with Chobhar, where the Bagmati River leaves the valley.

Over the centuries the stupa was repeatedly repaired and embellished by the valley's rulers. The Indian monk Shariputra, an abbot associated with Bodh Gaya, led a major reconstruction in the 15th century, and the Tibetan yogi Tsangnyon Heruka carried out a renovation in 1504. In the 17th century King Pratap Malla of Kathmandu built the long eastern stone stairway and the two white shikhara-style temples, Pratappur and Anantapur, that flank the main stupa. A major restoration begun in 2008 and completed in May 2010 re-gilded the upper structure using about 20 kilograms of gold, the first such regilding since 1921. Some buildings in the complex were damaged in the April 2015 Gorkha earthquake, though the main stupa largely survived.

Swayambhunath is a living centre of both Buddhist and Hindu worship, and is one of the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal. For Newar Buddhists it is the supreme stupa of the valley, embodying the self-arisen Adi-Buddha; for Tibetan Buddhists it ranks among the most sacred sites in Nepal, second in importance only to the great stupa at Boudhanath. The hemispherical dome itself symbolises the world, while the relics and the legendary eternal flame are held to lie within.

Around the base of the dome are set five shrines to the Pancha Buddhas, the five Dhyani (meditation) Buddhas, each associated with a cardinal direction, colour and element: Vairochana at the centre/east, Akshobhya in the east, Ratnasambhava in the south, Amitabha in the west and Amoghasiddhi in the north, often accompanied by their female consorts. The complex also reflects Nepal's characteristic religious syncretism: Hindu deities and shrines stand alongside the Buddhist monuments, and the temple of Harati (Ajima), the goddess who protects children from disease, is venerated by Hindus and Buddhists alike. The site's English nickname, the 'Monkey Temple', comes from the troops of holy monkeys that live on the hill; in legend they sprang from the head-lice of Manjushri.

The monument is a classic Newar-style stupa. A whitewashed hemispherical dome rests on the ground, representing the earth or the world. Above it sits a gilded cubical block, the harmika, on each of whose four sides are painted the famous Eyes of the Buddha, gazing outward to the four directions as a symbol of the Buddha's all-seeing wisdom and compassion. Between and above each pair of eyes is a curl that resembles a question mark; it is in fact the Nepali numeral ek (one), signifying the unity of all things and the single path to enlightenment, while the dot-like 'third eye' above represents the Buddha's transcendent vision.

Rising from the harmika is a tapering gilded spire of thirteen stepped tiers, the Trayodashabhuvana, which represent the thirteen stages a being must pass through to reach nirvana. The spire is crowned by a gajur (finial) topped with a parasol, and a crescent moon and sun symbolising the union of opposites. Around the dome runs a ring of prayer wheels that pilgrims spin as they circumambulate the stupa clockwise. Notable surrounding features include a large gilded vajra (thunderbolt) set on a mandala base at the head of the eastern stairway, the white shikhara temples of Pratappur and Anantapur, the temple of Harati, numerous votive chaityas and Buddha images, a monastery, and large gilded statues. The famous 365 stone steps of the eastern approach are lined with carved Buddhas and prayer flags.

Daily worship at Swayambhunath consists of pilgrims and monks circumambulating the stupa clockwise at dawn and dusk, turning the prayer wheels, lighting butter lamps and making offerings. The site is busy year-round, but it comes most alive during the major Buddhist festivals.

Buddha Jayanti (Buddha Purnima), the full-moon day in the Nepali month of Baisakh that marks the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death (usually in May), draws the largest crowds, with processions, mass prayers and the hill thronged with devotees. During the Newar lunar month of Gunla (roughly July–August), Newar Buddhists observe a month-long period of fasting, devotion and music, making daily pilgrimages to Swayambhunath; the related Saga Dawa observances of Tibetan Buddhism in late spring are also marked here. At Losar, the Tibetan New Year, the complex fills with Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims, prayer-flag offerings and ceremonies. These occasions turn the ordinarily contemplative hilltop into a focus of intense communal worship.

The stupa stands on a hilltop roughly 3 kilometres west of central Kathmandu, rising well above the floor of the valley (the hill summit is around 1,400 metres above sea level). The traditional approach is the eastern stairway of 365 stone steps — one for each day of the solar year — which climbs steeply through the trees past carved Buddhas to the main platform; it is the most atmospheric route but demanding for those with limited mobility. A motor road on the western/south-western side allows visitors to drive most of the way up and reach the stupa with only a short final climb, and taxis make the trip from the city in about 15–20 minutes.

The site is open daily and is best visited in the early morning or late afternoon, when the light is soft, the air cooler and the resident community most active with worship; sunset offers a panoramic view over the whole Kathmandu Valley. The driest and clearest months, October to April, generally give the best mountain and valley views, avoiding the monsoon rains of June to September. Visitors should keep to clockwise circumambulation, dress respectfully, and be mindful of the resident monkeys, which can snatch food and loose belongings. A modest entrance fee is charged for foreign visitors, and the site can be combined with a half-day taking in nearby Kathmandu Durbar Square.