Monkey temple, Kathmandu
Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; Newar: स्वयंभू; sometimes 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’ (Wylie: Phags.pa Shing.kun), for the many varieties of trees found on the hill. However, Shing.kun may be of the local Nepal Bhasa name for the complex, Swayambhu, meaning ‘self-sprung’.[1] For the Buddhist Newars, in whose mythological history …
