Swayambhunath
Ancient Hilltop Stupa Known As The Monkey Temple; One Of Seven Monument Zones Of The Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site · Kathmandu, Bagmati
Swayambhunath is an ancient stupa on a hill on the western edge of Kathmandu, one of the oldest religious sites in the valley and its most recognisable image: a white dome crowned by a gilded tower with the painted eyes of the Buddha looking out over the city in every direction. Legend says the valley was once a lake and that the hill rose from it holding a lotus that shone with light. Foreigners know it as the Monkey Temple, for the troops of rhesus macaques that live on the hill and steal anything left unguarded. The classic approach is up the steep eastern stairway of some 365 steps, past carved Buddhas and prayer wheels, to the terrace at the top, crowded with shrines, both Buddhist and Hindu, and prayer flags. From the edge, the whole Kathmandu Valley spreads out below, and on clear days the Himalaya beyond. The site was damaged in the 2015 earthquake and has been repaired. It is part of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site and is best at dawn, when locals climb to pray.
Swayambhu hill, western Kathmandu, Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal
Open daily from early morning to evening; foreigners pay an entry fee at the eastern stairway or the western entrance, and tickets may be checked again at the top. The eastern stairway of some 365 steps is steep; a road reaches the western side near the top, leaving only a short flight. Swayambhunath is about twenty minutes by taxi or a walk of under an hour from Thamel. Dawn is busiest with local worshippers.