Monkey Temple

Swayambhunath is another famous Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu. It’s better known as the Monkey Temple owing to the hundreds of monkeys that inhabit the grounds. In Tibetan it has a much more regal translation of “Sublime Trees”. A stupa has been here since the 4th century in one form or another and the place is revered by both Bhuddists and Hindus.

The Monkey Temple is located high on a hill overlooking Kathmandu so you get a great view of the city as well.

The stupa is surrounded by small shrines and monuments much like you’d find around a cathedral.

Some are Bhuddist.

And some are Hindu.

There even was some worshipping going on while we were there. People are lined up here to provide offerings to the priests.

At the top of this spire is what looks like a biblical thorny crown.

The actual stupa looks much like Boudhanath but on a smaller scale.

Here’s Jeffrey smiling for the camera.

The monkeys do set this stupa apart from others in terms of tourist interest. We were warned to be careful of the monkeys as they are aggressive and can be rabid but we found them to not care one bit about us.

Look at this adorable baby!

Next stop is the far less festive Pashupatinath, a Hindu cremation temple.