The Kathmandu Valley is home to numerous arcane wonders. Amongst them are a series of beautiful monuments and temples created incomparably.
Newar architecture embraced styles such as stupa and shikhara. These have been symbols of religious devotion in the Indian sub-continent for ages.
The native inhabitants took the style further and added their ingenuity. This amalgam gave birth to a unique architectural style known as Newar architecture. Today, the valley and various other regions where Newars settled during their trade endeavours feature beautiful symbols created with these cues.
The style in focus is stupa, a dome/mound structure topped with a finial. The exact origins of this style are unknown, but archaeologists discovered remains of similar structures in present-day India dating back to the pre-Buddhist period. Records also speak of the remains of Lord Buddha (Shakyamuni as per Newar vernacular) were buried by the recipients (seven noble families and the Brahmin) in earthen mounds.
For a layman, these stupa's are nothing more than symbols of a culture. But in reality, they are dome's protecting the remains of an individual or great power. The stupa of Svayambhu, according to various chronicles, is covering the light of Buddha. Boddhisatva Manjushri saw Buddha in his purest form, 'light' emanating from a lotus. Sage Santikar covered the 'light' with a stone and built a dome over it after he foresaw how people would misuse it in the Kali Yuga. Later in the 15th century, the stupa began getting referred to as Adibuddha (the most senior Buddha).
The stupa of Boudha protects the remains of Anshuvarma, according to local legends. He was a king of the Lichhavi era of Nepal. As per Tibetian belief, the stupa holds the remains of Kasyapa Buddha, the predecessor of Lord Buddha (Shakyamuni). The stupa was founded in the 5th century by King Manadeva. It was named Khasa Chaitya as it fell adjacent to the historic trade route to Khasa, Tibet.In Newari, it is called Khasti Mahachaitya, Khasti meaning dewdrop. Locals speak of how the builders faced a water crisis while making the bricks. Thus they spread lines of cloth and left them overnight. They then squeezed the dew in the morning.
If you're curious why I am not adding 'nath' to their names, it's because it was only in the late 1900s that this trend began. It is credited to the influence of Hinduism and generally called Hinduisation, a process of converting non-Hindu elements into Hindu.
The four Asokan stupa's of Patan hold great architectural and historical importance. But nowadays, they are only viewed as landmarks. The only available data on these monuments are through research of Western enthusiasts. Locals believe the Mauryan emperor Asoka built them. Others state it was not him but his daughter Charumati who commissioned them in honour of her father after his death. In general, they are old. Older than Boudha, not older than Svayambhu.
Pioneers such as Arniko, the great architect, developed the unique style of Swetchaitya (White Dagoba). He took with him at the tender age of 16 the glory of Nepalese art to Tibet and further to the court of Kublai Khan.
While trekking Nepal, a traveller might notice stupa's alongside the trail, especially in the upper hilly and Himalayan region. These fall in the category of Tibetan stupas. They might look similar but are not the same. Some hold remains of an individual, whereas others hold belongings, texts, jewels and spells. The family members commission them to assist the ascent of the departed. Today, they help guide the way and protect travellers on their adventure in the Himalayas. Locals encourage a trekker to built a stone stupa for themselves from flat stones near rivers. The belief is, they (stupas) shall be your home in heaven.
