Major Buddhist Sites of Kathmandu Valley
This valley and enlightenment have an entangled history. As per local lore, the first seeds sown were by Tathagata Vipasvin (Vipasyi Buddha). From it grew a lotus in the shape of a chaitya. It was called jyotirupa, a jewel in the form of light. Bodhisattva Manjushree learnt of it during meditation and embarked on a pilgrimage. He drained the valley, giving the world access to jyotirupa.
The first township in the valley was Manjupattana, a beautiful city created by Manjushree. Buddhism flourished in this vale, a sacred haven built by Bodhisattva Manjushree.
The greatness of this valley kingdom was known far and wide, attracting refugees, sages, bodhisattvas and more.
Many great shrines symbolise the Buddha's journey and his teachings. These sites bustle with devotees during Buddha Jayanti. They present various offerings and pray for peace and well-being.
Swayambhu
For the Newars of this valley, the hill is as sacred as the stupa. "Especially among the Newar, it has a great popularity since mythical times not as a stupa-building but as a holy place and even as a god.", wrote Wolfgang Korn in his book the "The Traditional Newar Architecture Of The Kathmandu Valley".
In Newari, the hill is known as sahyengu. Sa denotes cow and hyen tail, whereas gu means hill. The short version of this name is still used by elders, singum. As per research by Rospatt, it was only during the 15th century that the hill became Svayambhu. This correlates with Svayambhu Purnana being written in the same century. The hill gained an association with Adi Buddha, self-existent, through this writing because researchers did not discover any mention of Adi Buddha in the 14th-century chronicle The Gopalarajvamsavali.
Travelling forward in time, Svayambhu today is the crown jewel of this valley. Over the years, various elements have been added to this site, such as mani-walls, statues of Buddha, Manjushree, Padmasambhava and others. It is known as Svayambhu Stupa and Svayambhunath. It is a symbol of Buddhism, which receives numerous devotees. It was indoctrinated into UNESCO's World Heritage Sites in 1979.
Boudha
The stupa of Boudha is yet another stellar representation of Buddhism in Kathmandu Valley. As per Tibetian belief, the stupa is a tomb holding the remains of Kasyapa Buddha, the predecessor of Shakyamuni (Gautam Buddha).
As per Newar chronicles (Vamsavali), Manadeva I built the chaitya in the 5th century. Devotees regard the eyes of this stupa as the guardian of the whole world. For a long period of history, the local Newar population disregarded the stupa. Author Wolfgang Korn writes, "It is obvious that this stupa was not integrated into the religious calendar and life of the Valley Buddhist population, the Newars, as it was not mentioned for about 600 years."
Today, Boudha is a sacred space highly revered by the national and international population. It sees thousands of pilgrims and visitors very year.
The four Ashokan Stupas of Patan
In the ancient city of Patan, which today lies in the larger town of Lalitpur, exists four mysterious stupas. The four stupas are collectively called the Ashokan Stupas of Patan. Their origin is widely debated in the cultural community. One sect believes that the Mauryan emperor Ashoka erected the stupas in the 3rd century BCE. The second sect counters the claim stating that it isn't Ashoka but his daughter Charumati, who was married to the prince of Nepal Devapala Khastriya.
The names of the stupas are as follows:
A. Tetas (East)
B. Lagan (South)
C. Pucho (West)
D. Yampo (North)
These stupas were regarded as the boundary of the inner city of Patan. Newars identity them as thur rather than stupa. For a long period of history, these stupa/thur were only viewed as landmarks. It was only later that they were incorporated into the religious rituals by the Newar population.