Swayambhunath

Some 5 kilometers west from the heart of Kathmandu lies the oldest Buddhist stupa of Swyambhunath on the top of a green hillock. For the Buddhist pilgrims, Swyambhunath has a very great significance. Many Buddhist pilgrims still have the same reverence as they had in the 12th century when it became the main center for learning Buddhism and other philosophy.
What strikes us is the history of existence even well before 2500 years or before the emergence of Buddhism itself. It's assumed that there may have been a projecting stone which was given much reverence by the people and later on became the center element of the stupa. History also says that it was erected by Monday I and King Ashoka may have visited the place in 2nd century B.C.

The stupa was destroyed by one of the Sultans' invasion of India in 1346which later on was reconstructed by one of the Malla Kings- Pratap Malla. Actually most of the renovations on the stupa were made by Pratap Malla. The stairway for example was one of his works. The 13 gilded rings on the spire are the 13 degrees of knowledge and they make an entire ladder of themselves to Nirvana; enlightenment which is symbolized by the umbrella on the top. The two eyes are symbols of justice, peace and calmness and the nose-like thing between the eye is the virtue to join earth and heaven and the point or probably the third eye just above the two eyes is said to be symbol of farsightedness.

 

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