Swayambhu, the Self-Created or Self-Existent, is one of the most venerated and sacred Buddhist sites. Set on a hillock, west of Kathmandu City, it is reputedly the oldest settlement in the Kathmandu v...

Swayambhu, the Self-Created or Self-Existent, is one of the most venerated and sacred Buddhist sites. Set on a hillock, west of Kathmandu City, it is reputedly the oldest settlement in the Kathmandu valley surrounded by several smaller shrines and temples. According to legend, Kathmandu Valley was a lake, and Swayambhu in the form of light, emanated from a resplendent lotus. Bodhisattva Manjusri, finding the lake full of monstrous aquatic animal, drained the water with his sword so that people could access the temple. Although the first inscription mentioning Swayambhu is in the fifth century, the stupa gained popularity in the fourteenth century.