The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
स्वयम्भूनाथ
Kathmandu, Bagmati · 27.7149°, 85.2904°
The 'Monkey Temple' on its hill west of Kathmandu — with Boudhanath one of the two poles of Newar and Tibetan Buddhism in the valley, climbed by 365 steep steps past troops of rhesus monkeys. Hindu shrines share the summit, the valley's syncretism in miniature; the stupa's painted eyes became the emblem of Nepal itself.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
The Kathmandu valley was once a great lake in whose centre bloomed a lotus of self-arisen flame; the bodhisattva Manjushri cleft the southern hills with his sword at Chobar, drained the waters, and the flame-lotus settled as this hill — the light enshrined, the valley given to humankind.
The stupa rests on a hillock about 3 km west of central Kathmandu. Pilgrims climb an exceedingly steep stone stairway to the shrine; alternatively a motor road runs almost to the top, leaving only a short walk.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Licchavi
Answers only from cited records
Opening the line…