Literally meaning the ‘Self Created’ or the ‘Self Existent’, Swoyambhu is believed to have existed as jyotirupa, or in the form of light, inside a bejewelled lotus in the ancient lake of Kathmandu, the Kalihrada or Nagavasa. Legend has it that when Bodhisattva Manjushree visited Nepal Mandala (Kathmandu Valley), he drained out the lake and made the valley habitable for the sole purpose of making the Jyotirupa Swoyambhu accessible.One of the most venerable and sacred sites of the valley, and one that relates to the existence of the town itself, the stupa we see today is the product of building and rebuilding since pre-historic times by many kings, devotees and donors. Situated at the top of the Singum or the Cow-Tail hill, the stupa is believed to have been first erected by the king turned bhikshu, Santikaracharya and later renovated and enlarged time and again, relating, with each renovation, to the then existing doctrinal development.The stupa consists of a hemispherical white mound with nine golden chapels for the five Tathagatas and four Taras (the Shakti of a Dhyani Buddha), one niche as the shrine of Vajradhateshwori (Shakti of Vairochana), a cubical Harmika as the location of Lokapalash, thirteen staged circular gilt finial with gilt gajur, and pentagonal toranas with the five Dhyani Buddhas. At the eastern entrance, is the largest Vajra in the valley over a Dharmadhatu Mandala. Also present are numerous religious sites and stupa courts scattered in and around the hillock. The Swoyambhu stupa and its surrounding area are included in the World Heritage Monument Zone list
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