Situated in the western edge of Kathmandu valley, the stupa of Lord Swoyambhu sits atop a hill several hundred feet from the valley floor. It is one of the most popular destinations for tourists and valley dwellers alike. People visit Swoyambhu for pilgrimage, tours or simply to enjoy the almost birds eye like views of the entire Kathmandu Valley, the hills that surround it and the Himalayan peaks that are visible in between the hills to the north and the east of the city.

On the two days we visited Swoyambhu, the Himalayan range was covered with late afternoon cloud. However, the moonrise as seen from the stupa was nothing short of spectacular.

According to historians and ancient religious manuscripts, the origin of Swoyambhu predates the settlement of the Kathmandu valley, to an era when the entire valley was supposedly a giant lake called “Naag Daha” or serpent lake. One of the disciples of Gautam Buddha, named Bipaswi Buddha is believed to have visited the lake and taken up residence on a hill at the the north western shore. Bipaswi Buddha, after having a divine inspiration one day, planted a lotus seed in the lake on a full moon night. Six months after this, on another full moon night, an extraordinary lotus flower blossomed from the seed. Then a divine light, believed to be that of Lord Swoyambhu, shone from the heavens upon the lotus.

Word of this event spread among the disciples of Lord Buddha and they began visiting the lake to worship the lotus and witness the divine light. One of the disciples, Manjushree Boddisatva, came from China in the north to visit the lake. After three nights at the shores of the lake, Manjushree thought about draining the lake. After surveying the hills around the lake, Manjushree chose a point along the south shore and using his powers cut a deep gorge and hence is believed to have drained the lake and started a settlement in the lake bed which is modern day Kathmandu. The stupa (called Chaitya by locals) of Swoyambhu is believed to have been built around two thousand years ago, making it one of the oldest structures in the world. There are countless little stupas and small temples all around the main stupa that have been built throughout the ages.

The stupa of Swoyambhu situated on a hill above the valley, seen here at sunset:

DAY 1:

A 14th day moon rises over the city of Kathmandu, looking east from Swoyambhu, these were shot on the first day:

The stupa of Swoyambhu is well lit in the night sky:

Temple of Bajrayogini next to the main stupa:

Pilgrims walking around the stupa:

There are numerous temples and small stupas all around the main Swoyambhu stupa:

Behind the Bajrayogini Temple, the different types of lights here created an amazing 3-D effect:

There is long steep staircase that starts at the bottom of the hill that ends at this east face of the stupa:

DAY 2:

These next few pictures were actually shot on our second visit to Swoyambhu, the following day. A full moon rising above Kathmandu:

Another shot of the stupa and the back side of the Bajrayogini Temple, with locals milling around:

Devotees lighting cotton wick oil lights on the occasion of the full moon:

The all seeing eyes of Swoyambhu observing the rise of the full moon. There are a set of eyes painted on each of the four sides of the stupa:

It is believed that the four sets of eyes of Swoyambhu keep a vigil and protect the city and its inhabitants against evil:

Swoyambhu holds a special place in my heart. It is my favorite place in Kathmandu valley. It is also the place where my lovely wife and I met for the first time in person!

Every time I visit Kathmandu, I make sure to go up to the Swoyambhu Nath stupa and spend some time. On my next visit to the stupa, I will take some day time pictures and post here. On both of these nights, we got up there well after sunset. I had never taken night pictures in and around Swoyambhu, so I am fortunate to have been able to be there on a full moon night.

I have a quite few more blog entries to post already! Keep checking back for more updates.

- Suraj