Swayambhunath, A.K.A. The Monkey Temple

Yesterday we made our first foray into the city to visit Swayambhunath, a Buddhist temple set high upon a hilltop in Kathmandu. 

I was told there would be monkeys at the temple, but other than that, I had no idea what to expect.  The first thing that caught my eye were three huge, golden Buddhist statues sitting at the base of the hill. As we wound our way up the hill, past shrines and prayerful pilgrims, we were struck by the sight of thousands of prayer flags waving in the blue sky above.  The iconic Tibetan flags were strung from trees to temples to statues, filling the sky with a rainbow of colors. 

Shree dropped us off about halfway up the hill and after paying 200 rupees a piece for admission (approximately $3.00 each), we started working our way towards the top of the hill.  The hill is covered with every manner of statue, temple, stupa, and stone sculpture, each more colorful and detailed than the last.  I was surprised to learn that the religious iconography on the hill is actually a combination of Buddhist and Hindu symbols, reflecting the diverse views of the people of Kathmandu. 

 

 

As we neared the top, the place took on the feel of a hilltop village, complete with shops, schools, restaurants, and squares, not to mention many peddlers, visitors and pilgrims.  We spent some time admiring the Nepali handiwork for sale along the way, taking mental notes of items we would barter for on a later occasion.  At this point, I lost Gideon to a shopkeeper intent on showing him meditation bowls and Nepali rugs.  I didn’t see where he went, so I continued on to the top of the hill. 

Oh, what a sight.  The crowning jewel of the temple complex is the Swayambhunath stupa, a gleaming white dome representing the earth, topped with a thirteen-tiered structure of golden rings, symbolizing mans’ ascension to nirvana.  All around the base of the stupa are intricately carved prayer wheels that pilgrims spin on their way around the stupa.  Fluttering all around are the colorful prayer flags carrying prayers to the heavens, through the incense-laden air.    

And of course, there are the rhesus macaque monkeys climbing all over the stupa and wandering the grounds of the complex.  Like most western tourists, Gideon and I were absolutely tickled by these lively creatures.  We got a kick out of their brazen attitudes, munching on food offerings left by pilgrims, chasing each other across the prayer wheels, making themselves right at home in the nooks and crannies of the stupa and surrounding structures. 

 

  

I wasn’t afraid of the monkeys, but after chatting with Sunita about our visit, I realized maybe I should have been.  She told me the story of a visit to the Swayambhunath with a friend and her friend’s mother when she was a child.  She had brought a handful of peas to feed the monkeys.  When she tossed a pea at a monkey, it landed squarely in the monkey’s nose, becoming lodged in its nostril.  Sunita was shocked, as was the monkey who let out a screech alerting the other monkeys of the assault.  A troop of monkeys came running to her aid, and turned on the mother of Sunita’s friend, grabbing and tearing at her sari and scaring the dickens out of Sunita and her friend, not to mention the poor mother who the monkeys blamed for the incident. 

Fortunately, we did not have any monkey incidents, but I will probably give them a wider berth on our next visit.