Swayambhunath Stupa

Swayambhunath, the self-arisen stupa, sits on a hill above the western valley and is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal - the earliest inscription here dates from the fifth century, and the hill was almost certainly sacred long before that. It is reached by a stone stairway of more than three hundred steps climbing through the trees, with carved votive stupas and Buddha figures on the way up. At the top, the painted eyes on the harmika look out in four directions over the city, with the nose rendered as the Nepali numeral one, signifying unity. We take in the main stupa and its ring of prayer wheels, the Harati Devi temple to the goddess of smallpox - Hindu, and busy, on a Buddhist site, which is entirely normal here - the Shantipur, and the World Peace Pond below. The site is Buddhist and Hindu at once and is busy from before dawn with people walking the kora, spinning the wheels and lighting butter lamps, so it is a working place of worship rather than a monument. The rhesus macaques that give it its other name are everywhere and are best treated with respect rather than snacks. Best done at first light or late afternoon, both for the temperature on the stairs and for the light over the valley.