One other difference between the two is that Swayumbhu feels ancient and eternal, while Boudha feels like a boomtown. The ancient temple is surrounded by new buildings, with more coming all the time. First monasteries were built for the Tibetan monks, then guesthouses for pilgrims, followed by tourist hostels and obligatory rooftop restaurants. These shiny new buildings take some of the patina off the site, and the presence of families, school kids etc. living all around the stupa makes it feel more like a community center than a holy place, although the whole town always resonates with the sound of chanting monks.

You can see the Tibetan exiles spinning the prayer wheels are quite distinct from the locals in dress and appearance. Speaking of differences, spinning a prayer wheel here is equivalent to saying the prayer on the wheel 11,000 times. Not an apples to apples comparison, but it seems that Swayambhu's ability to magnify a meritmaking act there 13 billion times would trump the Boudha multiplier effect.

This ancient Buddhist temple built on a hilltop, served as a landmark along the Kathmandhu to Tibet trade route. Today, it serves as the nexus for the exiled Tibetan community. It's basically the same look and story of previously visited Swayambhu, so I'm tempted to just write "ditto" here. But I do love to ramble, so I'll keep going. As you can see, the same set of glowering eyes look out in all directions from the enormous stupa, one of the largest in the world. While both Swayambhu and Boudha attract large Tibetan followings, the temples also serve the local Buddhist population. Nepal's ethnic makeup is very complicated with scores of different tribes and clans. So the main reason there are two nearly identical temples relatively close together is that Swayambhu served the Buddhist Newaris in Kathmandu, while this temple was for more rural tribes.

The staircase eventually leads to the hilltop temple of Gorakhnath, another Shiva shrine but totally deserted and quiet except for the monkeys. It's pretty rundown and ramshackle, which adds to its attraction. From here, it's a 30 minute walk, mostly through fields, to our next stop, the Buddhist temple of Boudha.