Svayambhupurana: Translation of Svayambhucaityabhattarakoddesa Book

This volume provides a translation of one of the most important texts in the history of the Newar Buddhist tradition. As rendered into clear English by one of Nepal’s greatest modern scholars, Kamal Prakash Malla, its 10 chapters recount the origin of the Kathmandu Valley as a sacred Buddhist territory, how this holy Himalayan oasis became a center of Mahayana-Vajrayana tradition arrayed around the great Svayambhu Stupa. The text also reveals the visits of various buddhas, bodhisattvas, and sage teachers who became central figures in local history. Also described are the mandala array of sacred centers across the landscape, places infused with the powers and presences of local protectors and tantric deities. Garlanded by lovely line drawings and introduced by a definitive and lucid overview of the text’s various recensions by renowned scholar Alexander von Rospatt, this volume becomes an instant landmark in Newar Buddhist studies.