Kathmandu, August 6
The annual month-long festival at Swayambhu, which begins on the first day of the waxing moon in the month of Shrawan, commenced on Monday.
This festival celebrated as the Gunla festival by Buddhists, involves devotees visiting the Swayambhu Maha Chaitya every morning, playing musical instruments, and performing circumambulations around the area.
Buddhists consider this month to be sacred and make pilgrimages to visit Matsyendranath, also known as Karunamaya. The Swayambhu Management and Conservation Committee states that this practice is believed to accumulate merit.
Ashok Buddhacharya, the General Secretary of the Committee, noted that after visiting Swayambhu, it is traditional to circumambulate nearby pilgrimage sites such as Shobhabhagawati and Bijeshwari. The committee has completed all necessary preparations for the festival, including ensuring the security of devotees, managing crowds, maintaining cleanliness, painting, and organising street lighting.
With the recent completion of the Chaitya’s restoration, the volume of devotees is expected to increase this year. The committee anticipates around 500,000 followers of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism from both national and international levels over the month-long period.
The Metropolitan Police Circle at Swayambhu will be responsible for ensuring the security of devotees and managing traffic, according to General Secretary Buddhacharya.
“Swayambhu means self-originated land in Sanskrit. It is believed that Bipashwi Buddha came here to worship,” he explained.
Primarily a site for various religious activities for Buddhists, Swayambhu is also believed to be a resting place for Tantric deities. Devotees from all Buddhist sects and Hindu followers express their faith at this site. With the completed restoration of Anantapur and Pratappur, the influx of both domestic and international tourists has increased, General Secretary Buddhacharya added.
