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.
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.
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.
Swayambhu literally means 'Self-Existent One.' Swayambhunath is believed to have been established more than 2,500 years ago. An inscription dated 460 A.D.states that the construction was carried out by King Manadeva.
By the thirteenth century Swayambhunath had developed into an important Buddhist learning site.The largest image of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal is in a monastery next to the stupa.Statues and shrines of Buddhist and Hindu deities dot the stupa complex. Large numbers of Buddhists and Hindus alike visit Swayambhunath. Swayambhu is perhaps the best place to observe the religious harmony in Nepal......(More pic still to come)
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