No visit to Kathmandu is complete without a visit to Swayambhunath, also known as the 'Monkey Temple' (loads of monkeys present in various parts of the temple). Swayambhunath is known to the Buddhist community in Kathmandu as one of the most scared Buddhist sites (and the oldest), second only to the Boudhanath stupa (refer to my previous posting for more details).
The history lesson for today: Swayambhunath is said to be more than 2,500 years old and according to the travel guide (with the aid of Wikipedia), legend has it that the entire Kathmandu valley was once filled with an enormous lake, and the site itself marks the place where the legendary figure Manjushri discovered a lotus. Manjushri is said to have had had long hair with head lice. The head lice transformed into the monkeys that roam the site today, according to legend. Seeing that the valley was a good place to settle and to make the valley for accessible to Buddhists, Manjushri raised his might sword, and cut a gorge in the ring of mountains that surround present-day Kathmandu. The water drained from the lake, leaving the valley in which Kathmandu lies today. The lotus was transformed into a hill and the lotus became the Swayambhunath stupa.
The site itself is considered to be Buddhist but one of the most amazing things that I have noticed about Kathmandu is religious tolerance - the site is revered both both Buddhists and Hindus side by side. Images and symbols important to both faiths coexist on the hilltop of Swayambhu.
My friend Joost recently visited from Amsterdam, and this was his welcome to Kathmandu. We made the long walk to the site from Buddha Parkvia a steep stairway and were blown away but what awaited us. There was so much happening, various local Nepalis performing their daily worship, qeueing to provide their offering to the attendant inside the hindu temple situated on the site. At the same time Buddhists make their way around the stupa in a clockwise direction, touching the prayer wheels as they walk around and recite the Tibetan mantra. As we were feeling overwhelmed by all that was going on in front of us, we took a few minutes to take account of our surroundings and turned around and looked out onto the spectacular view of the valley. Everything looked so peaceful and quiet which is so not like the valley itself :-)
Later as we made our way to Boudha, I silently read up on the symbolism of Swaymbhunath and was curious to learn that according to Buddhism the base of the dome represents the entire world. The 13 levels on the top of the base, represents the 13 stages a human being has to go through to reach enlightenment to reach the ultimate goal , Buddhahood. On the 4 sides of the main stupa there are a pair of the "ever watching eyes". Above each pair is a third eye, which acts as a message carrier to heavenly beings when the Buddha preaches - and encourages those heavenly beings to descend to earth to listen to the Buddha and his teachings.
Swaymbhunath, another one of those World Hertitage sites that is worth every minute of the long walk :-)
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