Swayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu
Kathmandu, Nepal · 1951
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27.71480°N, 85.29020°E
Key Facts
- ◆ One of the oldest and holiest Buddhist sites in the world, dating from at least the 5th century CE.
- ◆ Sangharakshita climbed with young Nepalese Buddhists including Dhammaloka.
- ◆ On the four gilded sides of the top-piece are enormous painted eyes — the all-seeing eyes of the Buddha.
- ◆ A giant vajra (about eight feet long) stands on a pedestal at the top of the eastern steps, with long-tailed grey monkeys playing around it.
- ◆ Pre-dawn worshippers ascended the steps singing devotional songs every morning during his two-week stay nearby.
“Dhammaloka and I also climbed the steps to the top of the Swayambhunath hill… the enormous bulk of the Swayambhunath Stupa … on each of the four gilded sides of the top-piece there was painted an enormous pair of eyes. These eyes regarded one steadily; they even followed one as one circumambulated the stupa.”
— Facing Mount Kanchenjunga
Source: Facing Mount Kanchenjunga
Other sites in Kathmandu
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