Swayambhunath is located at a spacious four-acres tract of land in the Kathamndu District of Lumbini Zone, the central of Nepal, that is about 5 mile from the heart of Kathmandu city. A golden spire crowning a conical wooded hill, Swayambhunath Stupa is the most ancient and mysterious of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu valley. Its lofty white dome and glittering golden spire are visible for many miles from all sides of the valley. Historical records found on a stone inscription give evidence that the stupa was already an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination by the 5th century AD. Its origins however, date to a much earlier time, long before the arrival of Buddhism into the valley.
A collection of legends about the site, the 15th century Swayambhu Purana, tells of a miraculous lotus, planted by a past Buddha, which blossomed from the lake that once covered Kathmandu valley. The lotus mysteriously radiated a brilliant light, and the name of the place came to be Swayambhu, meaning "Self-Created or Self-Existent." Saints, sages and divinities traveled to the lake to venerate this miraculous light for its power in granting enlightenment. During this time, the Bodhisatva Manjushri was meditating at the sacred mountain of Wu Tai Shan in China when he had a vision of the dazzling Swayambhu light. Manjushri flew across the mountains of China and Tibet upon his blue lion to worship the lotus. Deeply impressed by the power of the radiant light, Manjushri felt that if the water were drained out of the lake Swayambhu would become more easily accessible to human pilgrims. With a great sword Manjushri cut a gorge in the mountains surrounding the lake. The water, draining away, left the valley of present day Kathmandu. The lotus was then transformed into a hill and the light became the Swayabhunath Stupa.
References:
Shrestha, Yanta Kumar. The History of Kathmandu, Kathmandu, 1997.
Luitel, Harisharan Prashad, Valley of Kathmandu at a Sight, Kathmandu, 1989
Written By: Sudhir Basyal