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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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SWOYAMBHU, NEPAL
I caught a cab to Swoyambhu. It is 2 miles west of Kathmandu City, across the holy Bishnumati River. Situated on the top of a hill, it is about 77 meters above the level of the valley. The hill is filled with small Chaityas and Pagoda Temples and there are 6 Buddhist monasteries in all – 5 Mahayan (Lamaist) and one Hinyan (Therbadist). On the back hill is another important Buddhist shrine; it is called Manjushree.
When I arrived, It was easy to Tibetan Prayer Flags were strung up everywhere (photo above). The flags are hand block printed in Nepal. Buddhist believe is strong in the power of these flags. Prayer flags fly from Gompas, Stupas, homes, and even remote mountain passes. Each flutter in a breeze denotes the offering of prayer. Anyway, Swoyambhu's worshippers include Hindus, Vajrayana Buddhists of northern Nepal and Tibet, and the Newari Buddhists of central and southern Nepal. Each morning, hundreds of pilgrims go up the 365 steps and begin a series of clockwise circumambulations of the stupa (Newari Buddhists circle in the opposite, counterclockwise direction). After climbing the stairs, passing smaller stupas, hundreds of prayer flags, and Buddha statues, you arrive on top. The you see the Buddha eyes looking down on you from the main stupa. On each of the four sides of the main stupa there are a pair of big eyes. These eyes are symbolic of God's all-seeing perspective. There is no nose between the eyes but rather a representation of the number one in the Nepali alphabet, signifying that the single way to enlightenment is through the Buddhist path. Above each pair of eyes is another eye, the third eye, signifying the wisdom of looking within. No ears are shown because it is said the Buddha is not interested in hearing prayers in praise of him. |
Also known as Swyambhunath or Swayambhu. Entrance Fee: 100Rs A stupa is a Buddhist religious monument consisting of a hemispherical base, and a square top with a pagoda-style roof. The gilded pinnacle of Swoyambhu has thirteen rings around it, representing the spiritual worlds, while the pyramid shaped pinnacle at Boudhanath has thirteen steps to enlightenment.
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see why they call it the “Monkey Temple.” Yikes! There were monkeys everywhere! I was still in my hatin' monkey stage, as I ran into some particular aggressive ones in India. Luckily they didn't seem very aggressive towards people but they were TRIFLING because they were rummaging inside the shrines to snatch edible offerings that had been placed there! Oooh I think that is bad kharma! 
Each thread that unravels and flies off carries the prayerful message with it. There are 5 strands of flags: Success, Peace, Knowledge, Prosperity, and Long Life. 
You hear the CD that they play at all the stupas - 