Swayambhu Purana

Swayambhu Purana (Devnagari: स्वयम्भू पूराण) is a Buddhist scripture about the origin and development of Kathmandu valley. Swayambhu Purana gives details of all the Buddhas who came to Kathmandu. It also provides information about the first and the second Buddhas in Buddhism.

Jina Shree Raj Bodhisattva had asked Jaya shree about the origin of the Swayambhu; the description of the origin as told by Upagupta Bhikshu to king Ashoka has been narrated in the first chapter of the story of the origin of the Swayambhu.

It also gives an account of the prophecy made by Shree Shakyamuni to Maitreya Bodhisattva about the origin of the Swayambhu in the middle of the lotus with one thousand petals planted by Bipaswi Tathagata. At the time of Bipaswi, shree Shakyamuni was famous by the name of satyadharma Bodhisattva. In this chapter also shows the then Kathmandu valley was a big lake inhabited by Nagas (Snakes).

In Second chapter, as a reply to the question of Maitreya Bodhisattva, "When did the Swayambhu come into being over the lotus planted by Bipaswi Tathagata?” Shakyamuni Bhagwan replied that Swayambhu originated at the time of Shikhi Tathagata when he was known as Kshemankar Bodhisattva. That chapter also gives a description of the fruits blessing due to worship of the Swayambhu.

In the third chapter, Maitreya asks the Buddha, “When was the city made by clearing up the water of the lake in which by Nagas resided?" Thereupon Shayamuni Bhagwan replied, “When I was known as Parbataksha at the time of Biswabhu Tathagata, a person by the name of Manju Devacharya cleared up the water by destroying the forest of Kuruwa, Chabaha, Suryaghat and Gokarna and established a city, made Dharmakar its king and made the city famous as Manjupattan.

Maitreya Bodhisattva asks Shakyamuni Bhagwan about the creation of the places of pilgrimage after the founding of the city of Nepal in the fourth chapter. Then after Shakyamuni Bhagwan explained, “Oh Maitreya! At the time when a human being had a life of forty thousand years, I was living as Jyotipal Bodhisattva in the city called Kshamavati at Krakuchhanda Tathagata’s place, at the time when shree Krakuchhanda Bhagwan went to visit Shree Swayambhu. Then he narrated to his community and to the people in general about the origin of the holy pilgrimages to Bagamati and Keshawati.

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