Swayambhunath is a white-domed stupa, dedicated over 2,000 years ago to Adi Buddha, The Self-Existent One. To this lofty shrine, the people come each day of the Buddhist holy month, starting long before sun-up, hurrying through the city streets in groups, thumping drums, clanging cymbals, and blowing flutes in an ear-splitting but joyful cacophony. Fasting, singing, and praying, the devotees climb the 365 steps that lead to the stupa where they slowly circle the sacred shrine, trailing their hands to spin the hundreds of metal prayer wheels set into its base. Each whirling with the mysterious, sacred phrase, Om Mani Padme Hum, the untranslatable benediction of peace.
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