Exploring the Sacred Landscape: An Account of Mañjuśrī and Wutai Shan in the Vṛhat Svayambhū Purāṇa

Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī is renowned as the "prince of the Dharma" because of his profound wisdom. Iconographically, Mañjuśrī is depicted as holding a flaming sword of wisdom in his right hand and the stem of a lotus flower surmounted by the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra in his left hand. The cult of Mañjuśrī has influenced Buddhist practices in many ways in Nepal. Mañjuśrī is portrayed as the founder of Kathmandu Valley in the Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa, where he is shown playing a vital role in founding the Nepalese Buddhist tradition. The Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa, believed to be one of the most important texts attributed to the Śākyamuni Buddha, focuses on the origin of the Svayaṃbhū Stūpa and the formation of the Kathmandu Valley. This text tells how the Kathmandu Valley has been a sacred destination and place to practice dharma well before the arrival of the Buddha Śākyamuni. After the origin of Svayaṃbhū in the form of Mahācaitya or Stūpa in the Valley, Svayaṃbhū, the self-arisen Stūpa and surrounding areas became the center of Newar Buddhist practice and devotion. The Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa is said to have been delivered by the Buddha Śākyamuni himself to Maitreya, then this teaching was transmitted to Bhikśu Upagupta, and from him in succession to King Aśoka, Bhiskśu Jayaśrī, and Jinaśrī Rāja Bodhisattva. This scripture provides us with information regarding the sacred Buddhist places and religious practices of Newar Buddhists. The extant manuscripts of the Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa vary in the number of chapters, with recensions existing in eight, ten, and twelve chapters. The recensions of the text describing Svayaṃbhū Mahācaitya have grown in number over time. As a result, the Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa now exists in multiple versions and recensions. The Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa has also appeared in several languages, including Sanskrit, Newari, Tibetan, French, and Japanese. The Vṛhat Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa in Sanskrit has just eight chapters and exists in a Newari translation. Most of the Newari manuscripts of Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa, such as Svayaṃbhū Utpati Kathā, have ten chapters. About the text itself, the shortest version of the Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa has just 280 verses, and the longest version contains more than 4,600 verses.  According to the Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī came to Nepal from the "Five-Peak Mountain" (in Chinese, "Wutai Shan"; in Sanskrit, pañca-śīrśa parvat) in China. On his arrival in Nepal, Mañjuśrī is credited with draining the Nāgarhad Lake, transforming the Kathmandu Valley into habitable land, and spreading the Buddhadharma throughout the Valley. The religious pilgrimage from Nepal to Wutai Shan, China, greatly influenced the formation of the cult of Mañjuśrī in Nepal. It is difficult to trace the exact date when the religious pilgrimage began. However, it is known that the Mañjuśrī Cult was already popular in the 4th century C.E. During the Tang Dynasty era, the cult of Mañjuśrī flourished with the support of the leaders of Hua yen schools and peaked around the 7th century during the Amoghavajra era in China. There are not many Nepalese texts that discuss how the Chinese Cult of Manjusri influences Nepal besides the Svayambhū Purāṇa. The Vṛhat Svayambhū Purāṇa describes in detail the visit of Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to Kathmandu Valley from Wutai Shan (Pañca-śīrśa parvat) with his two consorts, Varadā and Mokṣadā, the account of his draining of the water in the lake, the establishment of the Kathmandu Valley with many sacred places, and the establishment of Mañjuśrī caitya, among other details. Additionally, it provides some information about Wutai Shan which cannot be found in the short version of Svayaṃbhū Purāṇa literature. It describes Wutai Shan, endowed with jewels, and filled with five jewels, adorned with various qualities and abundant wealth. It is characterized by five peaks or summits, hence its designation as "five-peaked." The first peak is called Vajra Peak (diamond summit), followed by Indranīlaka (sapphire) as the second, Māṇikya (emerald) as the third, and the Tārkṣala Jewel as the fourth. The fifth summit is named Vaidūryya, or Lapis Lazuli. These five peaks collectively represent the five jewels of Wutai Shan, as described in the Vṛhat Svayambhū Purāṇa. This study will explore an account of Mañjuśrī and Wutai Shan in the Vṛhat Svayambhū Purāṇa, examining it in both the Sanskrit and Newari languages. It will trace the origins and development of the Mañjuśrī cult in Nepal and discuss the significance of Wutai Shan to this cult.