Swayambhu Restoration Project

The Swayambhu Mahacaitya, or Stupa, Nepal’s most ancient Buddhist monument, is entering the final stage of a two-year long conservation effort. The center of Buddhist culture in the Kathmandu Valley, the Swayambhu Stupa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It remains a vibrant site for worship, practice, and visitors from around the globe. 


The Swayambhu Stupa’s restoration began in June 2008 and is scheduled for completion in May 2010. The entire project has been sponsored by the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center of California (USA), in cooperation with Nepal’s Department of Archeology and support from the local Federation of Swayambhu Management and Conservation. 
This historic event is the first restoration of Swayambhu in over 90 years and the 15th major restoration in the last 800 years. The restoration work is focused on the repair, cleaning, and gilding of all the copper-plated sections of the Stupa. These include the 9 shrines around the Stupa’s base, the 76-foot tall spire and harmika, and the large vajra and Dharmadatu mandala situated in front of the Stupa on its eastern side. The metal plates of the Stupa are cleaned, damaged sections repaired, and then each plate receives a new layer of gold. To date the vajra and Dharmadatu mandala, the nine shrines, the harmika (the cube above the dome and below the spire), and the 13 discs of the spire have been completed. Only the chattra (decorative parasol crowning the spire) remains to be done.

The re-gilding is one of the largest restorations of gold work in the world. It is being done in the traditional Nepalese manner. Gold mixed with mercury is applied to the copper sheets and then heated to burn off the mercury, leaving a layer of gold covering the entire surface.

Repair of the metal sections of the Stupa (except for cast figures and sculpted elements) is being done through the traditional repoussé method. Additional repairs are being undertaken on damaged sections of the wooden structure within the cornice and harmika. Each phase of the work has been carefully monitored and recorded by the Center for Documentation and Conservation, yielding a priceless record that will guide future scholarly research.