Swayambhunath, the Buddhist temple

Well I must be getting my eye in because I was able to walk the couple of kms and back to this amazing shrine without getting lost, and with much less fear and trepidation! Its sort of like a Magic Eye puzzle, I'm now starting to be able to distinguish and remember landmarks, which is a great relief.

Swayambhunath sits high on a hill to the west of Thamel, the part of Kathmandu where I am staying. You can see it for miles off, and there are just throngs of people, locals and tourists, going there. It is both Buddhist and Hindu, and centres around a gleaming white dome or stupa.

On the way I got caught up walking with a group of about 20 women and children, all in red, going to pray. They were lovely and chatted to me for quiet a while. The story goes that Kathmandu was once a lake and this hill arose from the lake, hence the name Swayambhunath means self arisen.They have records of activity here as early as 460 AD!

When you arrive at the bottom of the hill there are beautiful, brightly painted Buddhas in all sorts of poses ( oh and also heaps of hawkers trying to sell you things!)

You enter via this amazing steep stone pilgrims stairway, built in the 17th century by the King.  I didnt mind the stairs, was more worried about getting past the gang of Macaque monkeys who ride the hand rails and will mob anyone who they think has food!

As you arrive panting at the top of the stairs the dome and all the prayer flags come into view.

In front of the dome, blocking the stairs, is the great thundebolt, or vajra, which symbolizes enlightenment  and destroys ignorance!

Prayer flags which look amazing, and are their to carry the prayers from the wheels below to heaven.

Butter lamps are lit and given as offerings

Prayer wheels run all around the stupa. You rotate in a clockwise direction, touching each one. I did a circuit so anyone who reads this should know that they were blessed.  They are all engraved with Om mani padme hum Most of the women visiting were in red sari's, this is the symbol of power and the Goddess, remembering that Dashain is just over.

Many many smaller statues surround the main stupa

The dome is topped by four faces of Buddha that face the four cardinal points.  The squiggle which we take as the nose is really the Nepali number one, for unity, and above the eyes is the third eye showing insight. This is the original depiction, which is copied and replicated all over Kathmandu Valley.

Moosie and I once we had finished our prayers

An amazing place to visit, and so nice to see people with such deep beliefs.