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Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Perched on a hill overlooking Kathmandu, Swayambhu is a revered site featuring a grand stupa surrounded by Buddhist and Hindu iconography. According to legend, a former Buddha visited the valley, which was then a vast lake. The Buddha planted a lotus seed in the clear waters that bloomed after 84,000 years, crowned with an eternal flame. Drawn by the flame from Mount Wutai in China, the bodhisattva Manjushri drained the lake by cutting through the valley wall, making the site accessible for pilgrims. The stupa now stands where the lotus once blossomed, making Swayambhu one of Nepal’s most sacred Buddhist sites. The hilltop can be reached by climbing 350 steps, with a gentler but less scenic back route also available. A 30-minute walk from Thamel leads to the base, though a map is helpful due to several confusing intersections; taxis and bikes are also options. The site teems with monkeys—keep food hidden—and hosts ancient temples, souvenir stalls, cafes, and restaurants offering Nepali and Tibetan cuisine. For those with limited mobility, parking at the rear entrance minimizes the climb. Swayambhu is one of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Kathmandu Valley and includes the Swayambhu Buddhist Museum.
Swayambhunath is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city in Nepal. The Tibetan and Sanskrit name for the site means 'self-arising' or 'self-sprung'. The hill on which the stupa stands has been an ancient pilgrimage site considered the home of the primordial Buddha known as the Adi-Buddha. For the Buddhists throughout the world, the stupa is venerated as one of the most ancient and important stupas in the world, having hosted numerous Buddhas of the past: Koṇāgamana Buddha, Kakusandha Buddha and Kassapa Buddha. For its outstanding universal value, Swayambhunath was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
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Part of the Swayambhunath Complex
Natural Science Museum of Tribhuvan University
This museum has a sizeable collection of different species of animals, butterflies, and plants. The museum is noted for its display of species, from prehistoric shells to stuffed animals.
Chhauni Museum
This in an historical building. It was constructed in the early 19th century by General Bhimsen Thapa. It is the most important museum in the country, housing an extensive collection of weapons, art and antiquities of historic and cultural importance. The museum was established in 1928 as a collection house of war trophies and weapons, and the initial name of this museum was Chhauni Silkhana, meaning "the stone house of arms and ammunition". Given its focus, the museum contains an extensive quantity of weapons, including locally made firearms used in wars, leather cannons from the 18th–19th century, and medieval and modern works in wood, bronze, stone and paintings.