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{{short description|Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, Nepal}}
{{About|the temple|the Sanskrit word|Swayambhu}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox religious building
| name                  = Swayambhu<br /><small>Swayambhu Mahachaitya</small>
| native_name           = स्वयम्भू महाचैत्य                 = Swayambhu 2019.jpg
| alt                   = 
| caption               = Stupa at Swayambhu{{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=point|zoom=15|frame-align=center|frame-width=250}}
| map_type              = 
| map_size              = 
| map_alt               = 
| map_caption           = 
| location              = Swayambhu, [[Kathmandu]]
| coordinates           = {{coord|27|42|54|N|85|17|24|E|region:NP_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=inline, title}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Buddhism]]
| deity                 = 
| country               = [[Nepal]]
| functional_status     = 
| website               = 
| founded_by            = 
| year_completed        = 
| footnotes             = {{Designation list
  | embed                   = yes
  | designation1            = WHS
  | designation1_partof     = [[Kathmandu Valley]]
  | designation1_date       = [[List of World Heritage Sites by year of inscription#1979 (3rd session)|1979]] <small>(3rd [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
  | designation1_criteria   = {{UNESCO WHS type|(iii)(iv)(vi)}}(iii)(iv)(vi)
  | designation1_number     = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/121 121bis-004]
 }}
}}

'''Swayambhu Maha Chaitya''' ([[Devanagari]]: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; [[Newar language|Nepal Bhasa]]: स्वयंभू; '''Swayambhu Great Stupa''', or ''Swayambu'' or ''Swoyambhu'') is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the [[Kathmandu Valley]], west of [[Kathmandu]] city. The Tibetan and Sanskrit name for the site means 'self-arising' or 'self-sprung'.<ref>{{cite book|last=Allione|first=Tsultrim|title=Women of Wisdom|publisher=Arkana|location=London|year=1986|isbn=1-85063-044-5|no-pp=true|page=xxxiii}}{{name might mean 'sublime trees' ([[Wylie transliteration|Wylie]]: ''Phags.pa Shing.kun''), for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. However, ''Shingun'' may be of in Nepal Bhasa name for the complex}}</ref> For the Buddhist [[Newa people|Newari]] people, the day-to-day religious practice at Swayambhu occupies a central position, and it is among the three most sacred [[Buddhist pilgrimage]] sites. For Tibetans and followers of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], it is second only to [[Boudha]]. Swayambhu is the Sanskrit name.

The complex consists of a [[stupa]], a variety of shrines and temples, some dating back to the Licchavi period. A Tibetan [[monastery]], museum and library are more recent additions. The stupa has Buddha's eyes and eyebrows painted on it. Between them, the number one (in [[Pracalit script|Nepal script]]) is painted in the fashion of a nose. There are also shops, restaurants and hostels. The site has multiple access points: a long staircase leading directly to the main platform of the temple, which is from the top of the hill to the east; a car road around the hill from the south leading to the south-west entrance; and a less traveled stairway that meets the landing leading to the same south-west entrance. The first sight on reaching the top of the stairway is the [[Vajra]]. [[Tsultrim Allione]] describes the experience:<blockquote>
We were breathless and sweating as we stumbled up the last steep steps and practically fell upon the biggest vajra (thunderbolt scepter) that I had ever seen. Behind this Vajra was the vast, round, white dome of the stupa, like a full solid skirt, at the top of which were two giant Buddha eyes wisely looking out over the peaceful valley which was just beginning to come alive.<ref>{{cite book|last=Allione|first=Tsultrim|title=Women of Wisdom|publisher=Arkana|location=London|year=1986|isbn=1-85063-044-5|no-pp=true|page=xiv}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Much of Swayambhu's [[iconography]] comes from the [[Vajrayana]] tradition of [[Newar Buddhism]]. However, the complex is an important site for [[Buddhist]]s of many schools and is also revered by [[Hinduism|Hindus]].

==Mythology==
According to [[Swayambhu Purana]], the entire valley was once filled with an enormous lake, out of which grew a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]]. The valley came to be known as [[Swayambhu]], meaning "Self-Created." The name comes from an eternal self-existent flame (''{{IAST|svyaṃbhu}}'') over which a sūpa was later built.<ref name="Shaha, Rishikesh 1992 p. 122">Shaha, Rishikesh. ''Ancient and Medieval Nepal''. (1992), p. 122. Manohar Publications, New Delhi. {{ISBN|81-85425-69-8}}.</ref>

Holy monkeys are living in the northwest parts of the temple. They are holy because [[Manjushri]], the [[bodhisattva]] of wisdom and learning, was raising the hill on which the stupa stands. He was supposed to leave his hair short, but he made it grow long and head lice grew. It is said that the head lice transformed into these monkeys.

Manjusri had a vision of the Lotus at Swayambhu and traveled there to worship it. Seeing that the valley could be a good settlement, and to make the site more accessible to human pilgrims, he cut a gorge at Chovar. The water drained out of the lake, leaving the valley in which Kathmandu now lies. The Lotus was transformed into a hill and the flower became the stupa.
{{Buddhism}}[[File:The famous Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu, an engraving from 1877.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Swayambhunath in 1877]]

==History==
Swayambhu is among the oldest religious sites in [[Nepal]]. According to the ''{{IAST|Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī }}'', it was founded by the great-grandfather of [[King Mānadeva]] (464–505 CE), {{IAST|King Vṛsadeva}}, about the beginning of the fifth century CE. This seems to be confirmed by a damaged stone inscription found at the site, which indicates that King Vrsadeva ordered work done in 640 CE.<ref name="Shaha, Rishikesh 1992 p. 122"/>

However, [[Emperor Ashoka]] is said to have visited the site in the third century BCE and built a temple on the hill which was later destroyed.

In the 15th century, the Indian Buddhist monk and abbot of [[Bodh Gaya]], [[Śāriputra (15th-century)|Śāriputra]] led the reconstruction of the stupa which was noted to be in a bad condition at the time. He was assisted in this endeavour by a King of the [[Malla dynasty (Nepal)|Malla dynasty]].<ref name=McKeown2018>{{cite book |last1=McKeown |first1=Arthur P. |title=Guardian of a Dying Flame: Śāriputra (c. 1335–1426) and the End of Late Indian Buddhism |date=2018 |publisher=Harvard University Press |pages=463 pages |isbn=9780674984356 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb86tAEACAAJ}}</ref>
Although the site is considered Buddhist, the place is revered by both Buddhists and Hindus. Numerous Hindu monarch followers are known to have paid their homage to the temple, including Pratap Malla, the powerful king of Kathmandu, who is responsible for the construction of the eastern stairway in the seventeenth century.<ref>Lonely Planet Nepal (2005). ''Swayambhu''.</ref>

The stupa was completely renovated in May 2010, its first major renovation since 1921<ref>{{cite book |last=Gutschow |first=Niels |date=1997 |title=The Nepalese Caitya: 1500 Years of Buddhist Votive Architecture in the Kathmandu Valley |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQp_957RRtAC&q=92 |publisher=Edition Axel Menges |page=92 |isbn=9783930698752 |access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref><ref>Shakya, Hem Raj. (2002) ''Sri Svayambhu Mahacaitya.'' Kathmandu: Svayambhu Vikash Mandala. {{ISBN|99933-864-0-5}}</ref> and its 15th in the nearly 1,500 years since it was built. The Swayambhu Shrine was re-gilded using 20&nbsp;kg of gold. The renovation was funded by the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center of California and began in June 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Oldest-Buddhist-monument-gets-a-makeover-in-Nepal/Article1-557273.aspx |author=Utpal Parashar |title=Oldest Buddhist monument gets a makeover in Nepal |work=Hindustan Times |date=14 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617195727/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Oldest-Buddhist-monument-gets-a-makeover-in-Nepal/Article1-557273.aspx |archive-date=17 June 2010| access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref>

At around 5 a.m. on 14 February 2011, Pratapur Temple in the Swayambhu Monument Zone suffered damage from a lightning strike during a sudden thunderstorm.<ref>[https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/712 Lightning damages Pratapur Temple of Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site, Nepal], UNESCO, 16 February 2011</ref>

The Swayambunath complex suffered damage in the [[April 2015 Nepal earthquake]].<ref name=bbc25>{{cite news |date=25 April 2015 |title=Nepal earthquake damages Swayambhunath temple complex |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-32465345 |newspaper=BBCNews |access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

==Architecture==
[[File:Kathmandu-26-Swayambunath-Details des Stupa-1976-gje.jpg|right|thumb|Torana on top of Swayambhunath stupa]]
[[File:Soyambhu Kathmandu Nepal (129) (5111966119).jpg|left|thumb|Buddha shrines]]
[[File:White Tara Shrine, Swayambhunath.png|left|thumb|White Tara shrine]]
The [[stupa]] consists of a dome at the base, on top of which is a cube structure, painted with the eyes of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] looking in all four directions. There are pentagonal [[Torana|toranas]] present above each of the four sides of the cube with Buddha reliefs on them. Behind and above the toranas there are thirteen tiers. Above all the tiers there is a small space above which the [[Gajur]](Tip of the temple) is present.

There are five gilt Buddha shrines at the base of the stupa, all with a Buddha statue inside them. Equally five Tara shrines can be found here, but only four of them are gilt and house a Tara statue. The shrine of Vajradhatishori Tara, or White Tara, is empty.<ref>[https://swoyambhustupa.com/map-of-swoyambhu-stupa/ Map of Swoyambhu Stupa], retrieved 27 June 2022</ref>

[[File:Swayambhunath stupa along with Harati Devi's temple and smalles stupas and pagodas in the foreground.jpg|alt=Swayambhunath stupa along with smaller stupas and pagodas in the foreground|thumb|430px|Swayambhunath stupa with Harati Devi's temple <ref>[https://swoyambhustupa.com/harati-ajimaa-temple/ Harati Ajima Temple], retrieved 27 June 2022</ref> and smaller stupas and pagodas in the foreground]]

==Symbolism==
The dome at the base represents the entire world. When a person awakes (represented by eyes of wisdom and compassion) from the bonds of the world, the person reaches the state of enlightenment. The thirteen pinnacles on the top symbolize that sentient beings have to go through the thirteen stages of spiritual realization to reach enlightenment or [[Buddhahood]].

There is a large pair of eyes on each of the four sides of the main stupa which represent Wisdom and Compassion, known as the [[Eyes of Buddha]]. Above each pair of eyes is another eye, the third eye. It is said that when Buddha preaches, cosmic rays emanate from the third eye which acts as messages to heavenly beings so that those interested can come down to earth to listen to the Buddha. The hellish beings and beings below the human realm cannot come to earth to listen to the Buddha's teaching, however, the cosmic rays relieve their suffering when Buddha preaches. Between the two eyes (also called Wisdom Eyes), a curly symbol, symbolizing the nose, is depicted which looks like a question mark, which is a Nepali sign of the number figure one. This sign represents the unity of all things existing in the world as well as the only path to enlightenment through the teachings of Buddha.

There are carvings of the Panch Buddhas (five Buddhas) on each of the four sides of the top of the stupa, just like there are statues of the Buddhas at the base of the stupa. Panch Buddhas are Buddha in a metaphorical sense in Tantrayana. They are Vairochana (occupies the center and is the master of the temple), Akshobhya (faces the east and represents the cosmic element of consciousness), Ratna Sambhava (faces the south and represents the cosmic element of sensation), Amitabha (He represents the cosmic element of Sanjna (name) and always faces the West) and Amoghsiddhi (He represents the cosmic element of confirmation and faces the north).

Each morning before dawn hundreds of Buddhist (Vajrayana) and Hindu pilgrims ascend the steps from the eastern side that lead up the hill, passing the gilded Vajra (Tibetan: Dorje) and two lions guarding the entrance, and begin a series of clockwise circumambulations of the stupa.

==Swayambhu Purana==
{{Main|Swayambhu Purana}}[[Swayambhu Purana]] (Devnagari: स्वयम्भू पूराण) is a [[Buddhist scripture]] about the origin and development of [[Kathmandu valley|Kathmandu Valley]]. Swayambhu Purana gives details of all the Buddhas who came to Kathmandu. It also provides information about the first and the second Buddhas in Buddhism.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Buddhist priest performing ritual with a tourist at Swayambhunath Mahachaitya, Kathmandu.jpg|Buddhist priest performing ritual with a tourist
File:MJ-150506-06-074.jpg|Swayambhu site after 2015 earthquake
[[File:MJ-150507-01-022.jpg|alt=Swayambhu after 2015 earthquake|Swayambhu after 2015 earthquake]]
File:स्वयम्भूयागुँ.jpg|The hillock of Swayambhu
File:Swayambhunath Temple Kathmandu Nepal IMG 8051 12.jpg|Swayambhunath Temple view from Kritipur Bhag Bhairav
File:Swayabhunath Temple-IMG 3267.jpg|Eastern staircase
File:2015-03-08 Swayambhunath,Katmandu,Nepal,சுயம்புநாதர் கோயில்,スワヤンブナート DSCF4170.jpg|Swayambhunath stupa area
File:2015-03-08 Swayambhunath,Katmandu,Nepal,சுயம்புநாதர் கோயில்,スワヤンブナート DSCF4155.jpg|Close-up of Swayambhunath stupa
File:2015-03-08 Swayambhunath,Katmandu,Nepal,சுயம்புநாதர் கோயில்,スワヤンブナート DSCF4257.jpg|Base of the stupa
File:2015-03-08 Swayambhunath,Katmandu,Nepal,சுயம்புநாதர் கோயில்,スワヤンブナート DSCF4277.jpg|Monk at Swayambhunath
File:Soyambhu Kathmandu Nepal (100) (5111926771).jpg|Chaityas Courtyard
File:Swayambhunath (17824481046).jpg|Ajima Temple
File:Swayambunath, Kathmandu, Nepal (6).jpg|Shikhar style temple by Pratap Malla
File:Buddhist gompa, Swayambhunath.JPG|Buddhist gompa
File:Morning washing.jpg|Temple Monkeys

File:Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath Mahachaitya, Kathmandu 01.jpg|Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath
File:Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath Mahachaitya, Kathmandu 02.jpg|Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath
File:Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath Mahachaitya, Kathmandu 03.jpg|Folklore items selling at Swayambhunath


</gallery>{{Tibetan Buddhism}}

==See also==
*[[Newar Buddhism]]
*[[Dharma Man Tuladhar]]
*[[Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal]]
*[[List of Mahaviharas of Newar Buddhism]]
*[[List of monasteries in Nepal]]
*[[List of Stupas in Nepal]]
*[[Natural History Museum of Nepal]]
*[[Pashupatinath Temple]]
*[[Shamarpa]]
*[[Boudhanath]]

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Additional references==
*''Swoyambu Historical Pictorial''. Edited by Richard Josephon. (1985). Satya Ho. Kathmandu.
*''Psycho-cosmic Symbolism of the Buddhist Stūpa''. Lama Anagarika Govinda. (1976) Dharma Books. Berkeley, California. {{ISBN|0-913546-35-6}}; {{ISBN|0-913546-36-4}} (pbk).

==Further reading==
*Ehrhard, Franz-Karl (1989). "A Renovation of Svayambhunath-Stupa in the 18th Century and its History (according to Tibetan sources)." ''Ancient Nepal – Journal of the Department of Archaeology'', Number 114, October–November 1989, pp.&nbsp;1–8.
*von Schroeder, Ulrich. 2019. ''Nepalese Stone Sculptures''. Volume One: ''Hindu''; Volume Two: ''Buddhist''. (Visual Dharma Publications). {{ISBN|978-3-033-06381-5}}. SD card with 15,000 digital photographs of Nepalese sculptures and other subjects as public domain.

{{Buddhism topics}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Nepal}}
{{Commons category|Swayambhunath}}

[[Category:Newar]]
[[Category:Culture of Nepal]]
[[Category:Stupas in Nepal]]
[[Category:Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal]]
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist places]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Nepal]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures completed in 1989]]
[[Category:5th-century Buddhist temples]]
[[Category:Newa Heritages]]
[[Category:Mañjuśrī]]
[[Category:5th-century establishments in Nepal]]