Police
Swayambhunath, the ancient stupa also popularly called the 'Monkey Temple', is located in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — Nepal
Detailed Solution
Swayambhunath is an ancient Buddhist stupa complex located on a hilltop in the west of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. It is popularly called the "Monkey Temple" ("Vanar mandir") because of the many monkeys that live around it.
About Swayambhunath:
Its name means "self-existent" or "self-created". According to legend, the Kathmandu Valley was once a lake, from which a lotus grew, and the hill of Swayambhu emerged spontaneously.
The bodhisattva Manjushri is believed to have drained the lake by cutting a gorge (at Chobhar), making the valley fit for people to live in.
It is one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal; according to an inscription, King Manadeva worked on the site in the 5th century CE.
It is sacred to both Buddhists (especially Newar Buddhists and Tibetan Buddhists) and Hindus.
Its main stupa has a white dome, with a gilded tower ("harmika") on which the "Eyes of the Buddha" (all-seeing wisdom eyes) are painted on all four sides, with a symbol like a question mark (the Nepali number one, representing unity) in place of a nose.
Visitors climb 365 steps to reach the top of the hill.
The monkeys are believed to be holy, as they are said to have grown from the lice in Manjushri's hair.
It was damaged in the earthquake of April 2015 and later repaired.
It is part of the "Kathmandu Valley" UNESCO World Heritage Site (1979).
Other monuments of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site:
- Boudhanath Stupa: one of the largest spherical stupas in the world; a centre of Tibetan Buddhism.
- Durbar Squares of Kathmandu (Hanuman Dhoka), Patan (Lalitpur) and Bhaktapur.
- Changu Narayan Temple: one of the oldest Hindu temples in Nepal.
- A famous Shiva temple on the Bagmati river.
Other Buddhist sites in Nepal:
- Lumbini: the birthplace of Gautama Buddha (UNESCO site, 1997); it has the Maya Devi Temple and an Ashokan pillar.
- India built the "India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage" at Lumbini (foundation stone laid in 2022).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Bhutan has the Taktsang (Tiger's Nest) Monastery.
- ✗Sri Lanka has the Temple of the Tooth (Kandy).
- ✗Myanmar has the Shwedagon Pagoda (Yangon).
Quick tip
Remember: Swayambhunath = "Monkey Temple", Kathmandu, Nepal (self-created stupa; Buddha's eyes; 365 steps; Manjushri legend; part of the Kathmandu Valley UNESCO site, 1979); Boudhanath = largest stupa; Lumbini = Buddha's birthplace.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Monuments & Religious Places Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Somnath Jyotirlinga temple is located in which state?
- Q2.The Kamakhya Temple is located in:
- Q3.The brick temple of Bhitargaon, one of the oldest surviving brick temples of India, is situated in:
- Q4.The Mahabodhi Temple is situated at:
- Q5.The famous Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja Chola I, is situated in:
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.