Several monuments situated in the vicinity of the 2,000 year-old Lichchhavi-era Buddhist shrine situated on top of a hill in western Kathmandu have been damaged though the main stupa has remained intact during the 7.9-magnitude earthquake.
Three Buddhist monasteries, including Karmapa Bihar, Jyoti Kirti Bihar, Maha Bihar, Shantipur, Pratapur, Anantapur, and Manjushree temple were also damaged by the powerful temblor.
The earthquake damaged more than two dozen houses situated in the vicinity of the stupa which is providing shelter to 27 local priest families, according to locals.
Swayambhunath Stupa is one of the most visited tourist sites here.
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The main Buddhist shrine in the stupa is believed to have originated at a time when Kathmandu was inhabited by a deity called Manjushri, who drained out a big lake by cutting the Chobar hill situated in southern Kathmandu thousands of years ago.
However, the main Hindu shrine Pashupati and House of Living Goddess Kumari situated here remained unharmed in the earthquake, the country's worst in over eight decades.