People usually don’t dare to climb the stairs of Swoyambhunath, but they don’t want to miss the sight of the stupa, which is the symbol of enlightenment in the whole world. According to Nepali legend, Kathmandu was once a giant lake, it was Manjushree who descended from heaven and drained the water out of the lake and created the valley. Swoyambhunath stupa was then built on a hill.

Although it is a Buddhist shrine, many Hindus also visit Swoyambhunath. It is probably the most renowned stupa of the world.

The most spectacular part of Swoyambhunath are the ‘eyes of Buddha’ painted on the walls and these are supposed to be the eyes of Adi, or the eyes of the primordial Buddha who shaped the whole world. These eyes represent the all-knowing and all-seeing nature of the Buddha. The symbol between the eyes stands for unity and prosperity of the whole world.

These are some of the facts about Swoyambhunath, which is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year. Besides the eyes other major attractions of the stupa are the lengthy stairs, footprints and of course the view of the valley.

— Seain Thapa,

Class XI, NSS