Ashok visits Kathmandu.

I have already mentioned that following his Master's footsteps Ashok the Great had arrived at Kathmandu Valley and worshipped Swayambhunath. Ashok's visit to Kathmandu, just like the Buddha's visit nearly three centuries earlier, has a historical provenance; both these instances are found mentioned in the Bungsawali of the Kiratis as well as in the Swayambhu Puran.

The Sage of the Sakyas was a Kirati Prince and so was Ashok.

King Sthunko was the ruling monarch of Kiratdom of Kathmandu when Ashok had come calling. To commemorate this visit Ashok had founded the City of Deo Pattan (now known as Patan) and given his daughter Charumati in marriage to a nobleman of the Kirati Court. (Many pseudo-historians are now busy spreading a disinformation that the nobleman was a Rajput, whereas the term Rajput itself was not even created until some fifteen centuries later).

Upon returning to his capital city Pataliputra, Ashok wasted no time before determining the central point of his empire and there at Sanchi, Central India, he created the most majestic replica of the Temple of Swayambhunath. However, after his demise, his successors lacked his dynamism and drive and gradually his empire broke up fragmented. None of these local chiefs who emerged from the vacuum were followers of the Enlightened One, instead they championed the cause of Deota worship (later identified as Hinduism).

Thus the magnificent Temple of Swayambhunath at Sanchi fell into disuse and decay where it remained forgotten for nearly two millennium until the British Archeologists discovered the ruins deep in the jungles of tropical India. Credit must go entirely to the Archeological Survey of British India for having preserved the ruins from further plunder but the archeologists could do no more than leaving the site status quo.

The magnificent ruins of Swayambhunath at Sanchi is surrounded by exquisitely carved gates and facades, which after these many centuries of neglect are still left in reasonable shape. These carvings depict Emperor Ashok arriving at Sanchi in a chariot with great fanfare while the royal entourage bring up the rear on elephants. These carvings show with great precision that Emperor Ashok and bulk of his subjects were Kirati-Mongolians.

It remains to be seen when the time comes, and it surely will, when the superstructures will be added to the hemispherical remains to bring Swayambhunath of Sanchi back to its former glory.

Invitation to the Kiratis

I am a Kirati and invite all my Kirati-kins to this blogpost. I will not write any controversial or offensive blogpost and am certain none of you would.

If you are hearing rumours or any viewpoint expressed to the contrary to what you are familiar with, in other words, that the Kiratis belong to Hindu India, you may wish to check up on the source, which will undoubtedly turn out to be non-Kirati. And, this is an excellent opportunity for you to invite the source to post his or her comments on this blogpost. We may benefit from the constructive comments or throw the acrimonious arguments back to its source and profit from the exercise.

Please write on whatever episode of history or folklore connected to the Kiratis or Kiratdom of antiquity you are familiar with, with the single purpose of enriching our culture while enlightening our non-Kirati readers.

Let us get started. Let us start at the very beginning.

In the beginning, it was a lake where dwelt Basuki Naag, the King of all the Serpents. There came one day Manjusri, the Celestial Architect, accompanied by multitude of his devotees and followers. He circumambulated the lake thrice and worshipped Adi Buddha, the Primordial Buddha of Agnishtha Bhuwan, the Heavens. With one mighty stroke of his sword, Manjusri is believed to have cut an outlet for the lake to be drained out. Manjusri is hence, depicted iconographically, with his right arm holding a sword, raised in anticipation of that strike.

Thus, in a symbolic act of creation, dry land appeared where Manjusri beckoned his people to settle down to lead pastoral life. Before ascending to heavens, Manjusri created by his divine hands the Temple of Swayambhunath, which stands there in Kathmandu till this very day. It is also believed that Manjusri appointed Yellung Hang to be the very first King of his people.

Tradition has it and the Kiratis believe Yellung Hang was divine in nature and used to at will walk in and out of Paru, the mythical abode of Paru Hang. Apprehending, Yellung Hang may one day leave the mortal world forlorn, the Kiratis have caused lower limbs of his statue to be left incomplete to prevent him from walking away. A 3rd Century B.C. statue of Yellung Hang supports this ancient Kirati folklore.

These form the bedrock upon which the Kirati heritage rests, that is to say, Swayambhunath and Manjusri are the cornerstones of ancient pre-brahminic Kirati Culture. The brahminic elements therefore, have been working hard to dispraise these two; by derisively calling one The Monkey Temple and ignoring the other. Understandably, they do so more due to ignorance than acrimony.