svayambh

Svayambh, also transliterated swayambhu, is a Sanskrit term meaning self-manifested or self-originated. The word comes from svayam, meaning self, and bhu, meaning to become or to exist. In religious and philosophical texts, svayambh is used to denote beings, idols, or phenomena believed to arise independently of human creation and to hold sacred status.

In Hinduism, svayambhu describes objects or beings regarded as naturally formed rather than sculpted. A svayambhu lingam is a lingam believed to appear without human fabrication and is honored as especially sacred. The term is also found in reference to mythological figures such as Swayambhuva Manu, traditionally considered the first Manu of the current manvantara, who, with his wife Shatarupa, began humanity according to the Puranas.

In Nepal and Buddhist contexts, the term appears in place names and religious sites. Swayambhunath, the Buddhist stupa atop a hill in Kathmandu Valley, is commonly called the Monkey Temple and is associated with the idea of a self-originated or self-manifested sacred site. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains a major pilgrimage center for Buddhists and Hindus alike.

Overall, svayambh conveys the sense of a divine or sacred presence that arises without human creators, either in objects, personages, or places, and is often invoked to emphasize purity, antiquity, or intrinsic sanctity.