The monkey temple and the eyes of Buddha ... (Part 5)

The way back from the mountain temple I was back into the Doppelmayr run cable car and the journey down was as interesting with views of the valley as it was during my journey uphill. The journey revealed more breathtaking views of the valley and its beauty. The walk and the excitement of the trip had brought hunger to my mind. Till now I had only tried Indian food at the hotel, a few jelebi's from a sweet shop near the temple and the like. 

I saw a nice restaurant at the foothill along with a souvenir shop which sold different varieties of kukhri (Gorkha knife) and magnets with images of the different attractions of the valley, one of which had two long eyes with a spiral in between and a question mark in place of the nose. Anyone would easily identify it as Buddha's eyes and my next destination was the Swambhunath Chaithya a monastery where you can see those eyes which remain a mark of Nepal. With a want to put of the hunger for a while I walked into the restaurant and saw the dish "Thukpa". I ordered a vegetable Thukpa and momos for lunch. The most satisfying lunch I could have at that time of the hour. I will share the way Thukpa is made with you in one of my next chronicles, as it is an ideal meal on its own. 

With a smile back on my face again, I got into the car which moved through the busy streets and took a turn after a while at a curb which was so very familiar. I have seen this place I thought. Then it struck me. It was those same stairs where Asokan (Mohanlal) and Appukuttan (Jagathy Sreekumar) confront along with the Buddhist kid (Master Sidhartha) in the movie Yodha. For those who remember seeing the movie, Nepal is just a reminder of every hillarious scene from the movie.

My journey continued as rain started pouring in. I was never deterred by rain during the journey, as I found, every place I go, I would be welcomed by rain. The Swambunath Stupa or Chaithya was not an exception.

A walk in the rain through the gates after buying tickets, I could see a pond where people threw coins for luck, monkeys who waited for their luck to get something or the other from the tourist and a whole lot of small shops by the stairs uphill where you could find all sorts of curious, collectibles, rudraksha and strange playing cards including those inspired by the work of Vatsayana. To see whether the rain would stop, I brushed through the few items at those shops including the chanting wheel, rudrakshas of different kinds, coins of yesteryear, sculptures, miniatures, singing bowls and much more.

At the foothill, as the steps that lead to the stupa uphill start, you can see two huge bells and a white stupa like structure with the same two elongated eyes of Buddha. The journey up the steps was not too tiring owing to the drizzle and rain which continued. Swayambhu literally means "that which was born on its own or self-existent". Historians and the people with faith believed the divine space to date back to 460 A.D., when it was built by King Manadeva and by the 13th century, it had became an important center of Buddhism. The changes in Buddhism is seen in Nepal as in Srilanka where after the 13th congregation Sthiravada Buddhism took shape and a modified version of the religion now exists in Srilanka. In Nepal you would find a more similar kind which could have originated from the Mahayana Buddhism and is called Vajrayana Budhism.

Legend and lore have a tale of Swayambhu, born out of a lotus flower that bloomed in the middle of a lake that once spread across the Kathmandu Valley once was. The largest image of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepal sits on a high pedestal on the western boundary of Swayambhu, which made me feel so small as I stood before him with rain still gracing the moment. Behind the hilltop is a temple dedicated to Manjusri or Saraswati - the Goddess of learning. Chaityas, statues and shrines of Buddhist and Hindu deities fill the stupa complex. The base of the hill is almost entirely surrounded by prayer wheels, which gave me a first hand experience of turning the prayer wheel as I went around in circumbulation.

A large number of Buddhists and Hindus alike visit Swayambhu throughout the day. This shrine is perhaps the best place to observe religious harmony in Nepal. A visit to the near by small museum would reveal many statues and idols which have been found there. The difficulty in saying the name Swambunath and the presence of a whole congress of monkeys, made the western tourist give the name monkey temple to the holy site.

Monkeys all around and faith prevails. I was reminded of Tich Nhat Han saying "Mind is a monkey, learn to ignore it". People walk around ignoring the monkey. What more could be called meditation than being able to ignore the mind monkey.

A look up the stupa would reveal those two eyes on all directions. Called the eyes of Buddha I felt a strange power in them, as I gazed the spiral third eye and the question mark like shape in place of the nose. The questions in the mind and the spiraling third eye chakra... hmmm... food for thought for those who are into transcendental meditation.

Neither the rain stopped nor me. I went around the stupa and enjoyed the heavenly shower as I walked down the steps to the car. The images of the stupa, the eyes, the monkeys, the shops ... all will remain etched forever in my mind for sure.

Every moment was a learning experience... or should I say every moment in our lives we are being given lessons but we choose to ignore as we continue the rat race in being someone or something.

The eyes keep gazing at me even after I left the monkey temple "Swayambunath Chaithya" As I ponder deep into the lessons and messages I gained from them, you add this place to your bucket list of places to visit. More in my next... expecially about the shoppin streets of Thamel, Durbar Square and some interesting sights to see in Nepal....