( Birth Date of Manjushri made official from Manjushri’s hometown Wu Tai China & now officially it can be celebrated on 29th April (4th day of lunar calendar))
Saroj Joshi
It will be very difficult to cover everything in this article, however I would like to bring some attention of readers with this intresting story covering just few unique Buddhist Stupas.
Childhood around the worlds unique Shrines & Stupas:
I feel lucky to grew up spending my childhood & hanging out with friends right at the Durbar Square of Patan a living musuem of Malla dynasty with world class open museum. Just next to my house Maha Bauddha ( Temple of thousands Buddha) unique temple is located. There are other numerous world famous Such as Rudra Varna Mahavihar, Hiranya Verna Mahavihar (Golden Temple) and many more within a mile, where I grew up ( Patan Sundhara) ( Kathmandu Valley) Nepal.
Swayambhu Stupa ( King of Stupas):
While writing about the Stupas, I must not exclude Swayambhu, which is located in most fabulous area of Kathmandu valley and it is one of the most beautiful, popular stupa of Kathmandu Valley & world located on the little hill at the center of Kathmandu Valley.
I call it “King of Stupas”.
According to the Gopālarājavaṃśāvalī, Swayambhu was founded by the great-grandfather of King Mānadeva (464-505 CE), King Vṛsadeva, about the beginning of the 5th century CE.
Manjushri China Connections:
According to Swayambhu Puran, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake, deemed by scientists as Paleo Kathmandu Lake. The hill where the Swayambu Stupa rests had lotus plants with flowers in bloom. One story says that the God Manjushri cut a gorge at a valley called Kashapaal (later called Chobhar) with a sword called Chandrahrasha and drained away the waters in order to establish a habitable land.
It is stated in Swayambhu Puran that Once Lake disappeared Manjushri got Darsham of Swayambhu nath. Adi Buddha on the full moon of the month of Karttika and for the first time the mysterious root-sources of the thousand-petalled lotus that had once laid at the bottom of the lake became visible.
Manjushri came to Nepal from Wu Tai mountain of China:
It’s hard to find the exact date of Birth of Manjushri either in Swayambhu Puran or the Chapter on the abodes of the Bodhisttava, however we have some info about the home of Manjushri
Manjushri was born at Wu Tai Mountain located at the North -eastern part of Shanxi Province of China. The earliest scriptural basis of the birth of Manjushri at Wu Tai Mountain appears in the chapter on the ‘abodes of Bodhisattvas’ in the Tsin (Chin) translation of Avatamsaka.
Birth day of Manjushri made official:
The Pushou Temple, located in Wutai county, Shanxi province, is set to celebrate the birthday of Manjusri Bodhisattva on the fourth day of April of the lunar calendar, which falls on 29th April.
In 2016, proposed by Master Rurui, abbot of the temple, the day was set as the “World Wisdom Day”.
Ashoka the great India Connections:
There are popular 4 stupas (Thurs) are very intresting ones, which are witnessing the work of great Ashoka right at the heart of Patan’s ( Kathmandu Valley) 4 corners.
Lagankhel Thur (stupa) for me unforgettable but for some one may be other Thurs (Stupas) may be unforgettable just like me. Reason behind, when we were kids we spent lot time playing around these thurs (stupas)
Those days in our childhood no children park, we grew up playing marbles & rolling bicycle tires etc. Video games and laptops are beyond imagination.
Any way we had great childhood. We used to play around the Thur (Stupa). In our childhood. Lagankhel Stupa (Thur) was very popular among kids & teens of surrounding communities for the hanging out with friends & for the outdoor games, where as for adults it’s definitely Buddhist Shrine.
Our play ground appears to be amazing unique Buddhist Shrines:
Who knows those 4 Thurs were once kids playground belongs to out of 84000 stupas work of some approximately 2300 yrs back by Ashoka the great emperor and who personally visited in those stupas too? Still it’s live located at 4 corners of Patan ( Kathmandu Valley) as stated above.
Charumati Connection as princess of Kathmandu:
On the other hand see below stupa of Chabahil, it was made by Charumati daughter of Ashoka the great, who married to the prince of Kathmandu that time Devapala Kshatriya . This Stupa is approximately 2300 yrs old.
Songtsen Gampo Tibet Connection:
Another intresting one is Stupa of Bauddha Kathmandu, I was there many times it’s very intresting and there you will see many Nepalese, Tourists & Tibetans immigrants. Some Tibetan immigrants made their home living next to it. They are having businesses such as lodge, gift stores, restaurants. I just found out the reason behind connecting the history. This stupa made by Tibetan Emperor Songtsen Gampo during his conversion as Buddhist in 600AD. It’s known as largest stupa in Kathmandu Valley.
Conclusion:
We have great history being a tiny country it makes us proud beside unbelievable other natural beauties, resources. No wonder Nepal is also called Shagrila .
Still we have time to make Nepal as a great country. Once it was, it is still and it will be in future just need all of us to be united together and work together.
References:
Other online medias information Wikipedia/Google
Editor: KS
Reviewer: Jiban Bajracharya
