Swayambhu Mahachaitya Temple स्वयम्भू स्तूप - UNESCO World Heritage - Kathmandu Nepal 2025

Swayambhu Mahachaitya स्वयम्भू स्तूप (also known as Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city.

The Tibetan name for the site means 'Sublime Trees', for the many varieties of trees found on the hill.

For the Buddhist Newars, in whose mythological history and origin myth as well as day-to-day religious practice Swayambhu occupies a central position, it is the most sacred among 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. Between them, the number one (in Nepal script) is painted in the fashion of a nose.

Swayambhu is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal. According to the Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī, it was founded by the great-grandfather of King Mānadeva (464–505), King Vṛsadeva, about the beginning of the fifth century. This seems to be confirmed by a damaged stone inscription found at the site, which indicates that King Vrsadeva ordered work done in 640.

Emperor Ashoka is said to have visited the site in the third century BC 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 led the recontruction 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.

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.

The stupa was completely renovated in May 2010, its first major renovation since 1921 and its 15th in the nearly 1,500 years since it was built. The Swayambhu Shrine was re-gilded using 20 kg of gold. The renovation was funded by the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center of California, and began in June 2008.

The Swayambunath complex suffered damage in the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kathmandu and well worth a visit.

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