Swayambhunath {popularly known as Monkey temple}
The Swayambhu Stupa is a Buddhist site of great antiquity. Built on a hilltop that stood out as an island when the valley was covered by the lake once upon a time, it marks the spot where a flaming lotus sprouted out of a seed cast by a Buddha of a previous neon. Statues of various Buddhist deities are embedded around its white dome over which rises a gilded spire. There are numerous other shrines and several monasteries on the hilltop, from where a magnificent view of the valley can be had. UNESCO has declared Swayambhu a World Heritage Site. But beware; this temple is amazingly infested with monkeys that can literally be a pain in the neck. Make sure you buy some bananas before you enter the vicinity of this temple, as this will keep the monkeys off your back if you share some of those bananas with them.
