Swyambhunath Temple Cinematic - Monkey Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal - 2020 ,UNESCO World Heritage Site

SWAYAMBHUNATH STUPA
Find peace and prayers on the little hillock of Swaymbhunath in the northwest of the Kathmandu Valley. Visitors for whom the name was a tongue twister have called it "Monkey Temple"from the 1970s. Swayambhu, overlooks most parts of the valley,.giving visitors panoramic views of the city. The stupa has stood as a hallmark of faith and harmony for centuries with Hindu temples and deities incorporated in this Buddhist site. The glory of Kathmandu Valley is said to have started from this point.

Resting on a hillock 3 km west of Kathmandu, Swayambhunath is one of the holiest Buddhist chaityas in Nepal. It is said to have evolved spontaneously when the valley was created out of a primordial lake more than 2,000 years ago. This stupa is the oldest of its kind in Nepal and has numerous shrines and monasteries on its premises.

Swayambhu literally means "self-existent one". Believed to date back to 460 A.D., it was built by King Manadeva and by the 13th century, it had become an important center of Buddhism where large crowds of people gather to celebrate Buddha's birthday in May each year..

Legend has it that Swayambhu was born out of a lotus flower that bloomed in the middle of a lake that once spread across the Kathmandu Valley once was. The largest image of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal sits on a pedestal on the western boundary of Swayambhu. Behind the hilltop is a temple dedicated to Manjusri or Saraswati - the Goddess of learning. Chaityas, statues and shrines of Buddhist and Hindu deities fill the stupa complex. The base of the hill is almost entirely surrounded by prayer wheels that were recently installed. Devotees can be seen circumambulating the stupa at all times.

The stupa sits atop the hill and the exceedingly steep stone steps leading up to the shrine is quite a challenge. However, there is also a road going up almost to the top and you can drive up. A large number of Buddhists and Hindus alike visit Swayambhunath through out the day. Swayambhu is perhaps the best place to observe religious harmony in Nepal.

[janezainw]

Beautifully done Bhai.. I feel at peace