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euzkadi Says: Most of the trees around the complex are surrounded by these prayer flags. For years Tibetans have planted flags outside their homes, temples and other spiritual places, the wind carry the beneficent vibrations and spread it all over. Prayer flags bring happiness, long life...
euzkadi Says: Behind the main stupa there´s an area with some excellent crafts shops with masks, Tibetan paintings and wood carvings- I´m not shure if the prices were better than in Thamel ( there were less tourists) but for me it was a good place to buy handicrafts. There are also a...
euzkadi Says: In 1973, the Kathmandu valley and seven of their landmarks were declared World Heritage Site by the Unesco. The seven include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhunath and Bouddhanath and the Hindu temples of...
Buddhism and Hinduism togheter.
euzkadi Says: This temple offers a good example of sincretism, the two major Nepalese religions (Buddhism and Hinduism) are practiced here hand in hand. There are temples for Buddha and Hinduist deities, and most of the pilgrims visit and make offerings to both of them.
View from the back of the Main Stupa.
euzkadi Says: After visiting the Harati temple and behind it, there´s a huge platform with several small shrines and statues of Buddha and other deities. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, watching the pilgrims walking the clockwise circle of the stupa, and hearing Tibetan meditation chants...
euzkadi Says: This multi-roofed temple belongs to the Goddess Harumati, and is specially devoted by parents looking for the protection of their chidren from diseases.
euzkadi Says: The Vajra or Dorje (in Tibetan) is a ritual Buddhist object that represents a thunderbolt and spiritual power. After climbing the stairs and passing the Vajra, pilgrims begin a series of clockwise circumambulations of the stupa (Newari Buddhists cirle counterclockwise...
euzkadi Says: These two Indian Shikhar style temples are flanking the gilded Vajra or Dorje, is the first sight of the complex after climbing the eastern staircase. The temples were built by King Pratap Malla and date from 1646.
euzkadi Says: These lamps filled with butter, are one of the main offerings in most of the Buddhist temples, the lights of the lamps symbolized the wisdom of the awakening mind. Near the main Stupa is located a Path (Pilgrim shelter) with a Kargyud-school gompa in the second floor where...
euzkadi Says: The center of the complex is this huge white-washed stupa, surrounded by other buddhist and hinduist temples. Above the stupa a square block depicting the golden eyes of Buddha, the ek (number one) the symbol that resembles a question mark and the tird eye of Buddha.
euzkadi Says: The temple is known by the tourists as the Monkey Temple due to the large amount of Rhesus Macaque monkeys that wander and live in the forest near the temple. The monkeys are very friendly and used to the human crowds that visit the complex; there are also vendors of seeds...
euzkadi Says: After crossing the Main Eastern gate there are three statues of Buddha, they look new because are painted in bright colors, but the statues date back to the 17th century.
euzkadi Says: The Main Eastern Gate is colorful painted, and are flanked by three Buddha statues from the 17th century. The place is a meeting point for vendors, beggars, saddhus, pilgrims and tourists. There are 365 old stairs to the temple, a nice climb through the forest with lots of...
euzkadi Says: Near the gate of the eastern entrance of the temple, there is a small shrine that contains a huge Tibetan Prayer Wheel used by the pilgrims to send prayers to heaven while saying the mantras. There are also a row of small wheels around to began your spiritual preparation for...
josephescu Says: I arrived in Swayambhunath directly from Bodhnath stupa on the other side of Kathmandu, on a cab that was 220 rupees after a little bargaining. It was rush hour however, and it took 40 minutes to negotiate our way through the hectic traffic.Do not try to get a rickshaw from...
schlumpf Says: To reach the monkey Temple there are some possibilities to choose from: the easiest is to take a taxi, that will cost you around 80 nepali rupees.The most cool one is to take the wellknown “Sofa” nr. 20 that leaves Thamel and take you to the stairs entrance. It would cost...
Helpfulness
As usual, once a place is very famous, and gets into the toursitic circuit, would be definitely fullfilled of guides, stuffs seller and so on.
Indeed, also here in the monkey temple (moreover in the main entrance >>not the stairs way!!), you will find a lot of small street seller, a lot of woman with cry’ kids that will try to sell you something or will ask you to take some pics in order to get some tip.
Written Feb 24, 2005
Symbols of the buddhist philosophy
josephescu Says: The stupas are tipically Buddhist. From simple domed burial mounds, “build to hold relics of Buddha”, stupas they evolved over the centuries to become complex structures that represent Buddhist philosophy. The five elements characteristic to the Buddhist universe are...
josephescu Says: The thunderbolt (dorje) symbolises the male force or compassion, and the bell symbolises the female wisdom. Around the pedestal supporting the mighty thunderbolt are the animals of the Tibetan calendar.
Symbols - the vechicles of Buddha
josephescu Says: The pairs of animals on each side of the steps as you climb towards the temples –lions, elephants, horses and peacocks are the vehicles of Dhyani Buddha.
The Swayambhunath a.k.a. the Moneky Temple, could be named as the “symbol” of Nepal, indeed, everyone looking at the wellknown “third eye Buddha”, would immediately think about Nepal. The Monkey...
Self-Created Stupa or Swayambhu Stupa
This magnificent temple is one of the oldest and holiest temple in the valley. According to the legend there was a great lake in the Kathmandu Valley, in the center of it a Lotus flower grew and when...
Swayambhu, meaning the “Self-Created”
Although often referred to by the foreigners as the Monkey Temple, this given name does not mean that the temple is dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey-god. This is the result of the many monkeys taking...
Swayambhunath - an island in the lake
It is said that the Kathmandu valley was once a lake and a legend says that the hill on which Swayambhunath stands was an island!
Build your own Swayambhunath page
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