bod thang mgon po
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The Protector on the Tibetan Plain
The famous Mahākāla statue in Thundikel in the center of Kathmandu/Nepal, the most important Mahākāla temple in the valley. It is carved from stone and approximately 2.5m tall. Supposedly it is one of the original eight Mahākāla statues of Nalanda university. There are various legends connected with it, such as that it was either made by Nagarjuna, or that he magically caused it to fly from Nalanda to Nepal. The term "Tibetan plain" refers to the wide open field of Thundikel behind the temple that houses the statue, the grounds where the envoys of King Songtsen Gampo (srong btsan sgam po) were encamped when they came to fetch the Nepali bride, Princess Bhrikuti, for their emperor. The statue is also considered to be the main protector of Svayambhunath and is as such also known as the "All Trees' Protector" or "shing kun mgon po", "'phags pa shing kun" being the Tibetan name for the Svayambunath stupa. …...more
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