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Unique Chance to See Swayambhunath Monkey Temple Before 2015 Nepal Earthquake

Travel to Nepal and take a peek at the Swayambhunath Monkey Temple and the famous Swayambhu Stupa – one of Kathmandu’s most iconic Buddhist pilgrimage destinations that got ruined by the massive 2015 Nepal earthquake.

In addition to the magnificent Himalayas, and Mt. Everest, Nepal is definitely known for its ancient spiritual tradition related to the Buddhist religion. Hundreds of temples – large and small – are scattered around the country. One of the most iconic images of Nepal and a bucket list attraction to include when planning your travel to Nepal is Swayambhunath Monkey Temple with its Swayambhu Stupa, located in the capital Kathmandu on its highest hill. Unfortunately, the devastating earthquake in 2015 destroyed many historical sites: Swayambhunath Monkey Temple too had suffered significant damage. 

In this post I share photos from our travel to Kathmandu, Nepal in 2013, so you can see the Swayambhu Stupa and other Swayambhunath Monkey Temple structures as they were before the earthquake. 

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Swayambhunath Monkey Temple 

Located atop the highest hill in Kathmandu, Swayambhunath is an ancient Buddhist religious complex that attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists alike to travel to Nepal from around the World each year.

Its main dome – the Swayambhu Stupa or the temple of Adi Buddha – has painted Buddha eyes overlooking the city, and is said to be the Protector of the Kathmandu Valley and the Nepalese people.

The entire Swayambhunath complex in Kathmandu is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It consists of the main stupa (Swayambhu stupa), a variety of smaller temples, and shrines. Some of the structures date back as far as Locchavi Kingdom 400 to 750 CE. 

Swayambhunath is probably one of the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites. For Tibetans and followers of Tibetan Buddhism, Kathmandu's Swayambhu Monkey Temple is second only to Boudhanath. 

Тhe pilgrimage takes the believer on the path of 365 steps up to the Swayambhu Stupa. It is built with thirteen rings that represent the thirteen degrees of knowledge one needs to acquire on the path to enlightenment. 

According to Buddhist legend, the bodhisattva Manjushri is believed to have discovered a lotus flower at the center of an ancient lake that at that time filled the entire Kathmandu Valley. He drained the lake by cutting a gorge, allowing the valley to become habitable. The flower was said to have settled where the Adi Buddha Stupa now is, while the Kathmandu Valley had a city built.

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Historical Images of Swayambhunath

Being a bit of a history nerd related to all our travel and adventures, I could not but include a few historical paintings and sketches of the iconic Monkey Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Here is one painting – the Narrative Painting of Swayambhu (circa early 20th century). This painting is a copy of an original narrative-style painting of Swayambhu made in Kathmandu early 20th century and was collected in Kathmandu by James Giambrone in 1971. 

When researching for my 2013 travel to Nepal, I have come across a curious historical manuscript. ‘Sketches from Nipal, Historical and Descriptive…' (1880) by Dr. Oldfield, who was Residency Surgeon at Kathmandu from 1850-1863, describes life in the court of the Maharajah Jung Bahadur and contains descriptions of Buddhist architecture, together with watercolor illustrations.

The book is in Public Domain and you can DOWNLOAD ‘Sketches from Nipal, Historical and Descriptive…' (1880) by Dr. Oldfield HERE

Here are a few historical sketches and drawings of the Swayambhu Temple from close to 150 years ago.

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Historical Sketches of Swayambhunath Shrines

Dr. Oldfield also depicts five shrines that were built by Rajah Partab Mall and back in his time – in 1880 – are “nearly 220 years old”.

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Our Travel to Nepal in 2013: Photos of Swayambhunath Monkey Temple & Swayambhu Stupa Before the 2015 Earthquake

We traveled to Nepal in December 2013. Here we planned a short 3-day stay in Kathmandu as a layover coming from Canada and moving further to India to attend a grandiose Indian Wedding.

In addition to a flight tour to see Mt. Everest and the Himalayan sunrise bucket list adventures, we scheduled some time to enjoy Kathmandu visiting the famous Durbar Square and Swayambhunath Monkey Temple complex.

Here is what the Swayambhunath site looked like back in 2013:

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By the way, you can DOWNLOAD our Nepal 3-day trip itinerary below completely free. This way you'll know you made the best of your limited time in Nepal!

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Inside of the Swayambhunath Shrines

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2015 Earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal

At 11:56 am on April 25, 2015, a severe earthquake of 8.1M magnitude shook Nepal – later named the Gorkha Earthquake, due to the location of its epicenter. Close to 9,000 people were killed, over 22,000 injured, multitudes missing. It was the worst natural disaster that hit Nepal in over 100 years. In the Himalayas, the Gorkha Earthquake triggered multiple avalanches, including on Mt. Everest killing 22. 

“Centuries-old buildings were destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Patan Durbar Square, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Changu Narayan Temple, the Boudhanath stupa and the Swayambhunath stupa.”  

from Wikipedia

Many of Swayambhu’s structures suffered considerable damage. Pratapa Malla tower (Shikara Anantapura) to the left of the steps has collapsed almost completely.

Here is some video footage and News Articles with evidence of the 2015 earthquake damage.

• WATCH: the New York Times [May 20, 2015] look at Swayambhunath emple in ruins as an aftermath of the Nepal earthquake.
• PHOTOS: Global News [May 3, 2015] Ancient Swayambhunath temple in ruins after Nepal earthquake

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PERSONAL NOTE: Our friends traveled to Nepal that April to enjoy Annapurna trekking. They came back to Canada just 10 days before the Gorkha Earthquake struck, narrowly escaping the disaster. To this day I am thankful to all the Gods out there that our friends are safe and alive. 

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Concluding Notes

Nepal, although not one of the most family-friendly travel destinations, is one of those places that made it to our hearts dearly – it joined British Columbia Canada, Alberta’s Banff National Park in Canada, Costa Rica, and Hawaii. I am happy we extended our travel layover in Kathmandu to 3 full days and explored the country. I can appreciate now why the Swayambhu Stupa has become an iconic image of Kathmandu. We are also extremely sad with all the damage the earthquake of 2015 done to those magnificent historic sites, such as the Swayambhu temple. 

I believe that some of them, at least, like Boudhanath, were restored already. Yet many of the ancient spiritual monuments and temples are now lost forever. 

If you are to ever travel to Nepal, or to any other place in the World, do take in all the uniqueness and the beauty of your surroundings! Do photograph and take plenty of videos of stunning nature, monuments, temples, local people, animals, food, everything you find curious. You never know when it all will disappear from existence.

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Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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