Vajrayogini (Hyaukhwamaiju)
The story of how Vajrayogini manifested in fiery form from a vajra that fell on a cliff, and how the town of Sankhu came to be founded.
Vajrayogini (Hyaukhwamaiju)
When a vajra fell from the sky onto the cliff of Manichud mountain, the rock split open, and from its divine radiance the great goddess Vajrayogini (Ugradara) manifested. After Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva offered their powers to her, the goddess slew the demon Mayasur and delivered the gods.
A siddha vajracharya named Yogadev served the goddess Vajrayogini daily, burning incense and lamps.
One day, as the goddess went out wandering, a diamond-studded ornament from her ear (a dhungri) fell. From the spot where the ornament fell, a spring of pure water burst forth and formed "Manikund". Because the goddess's face turned red as she searched for the ornament, she came to be called in Newari "Hyaukhwamaiju" (the mother with the red face).
The goddess planted herbs on Manichud mountain, rested beneath a great tree, and shaping a beautiful child's idol from clay, breathed life into it.
At the goddess's command, the priest Yogadev brought that divine child home and raised him. When the child grew up endowed with the thirty-two marks, by the goddess's blessing he became the king of that region, "Shankhadev". Because the city was laid out in the shape of a conch shell, that historic town was called "Shankhapur" (Sankhu).
Note: These are traditional Nepali folk tales (kimbadanti), passed down orally through generations. They may or may not reflect actual historical events, but they are told and believed as part of Nepal's cultural heritage.
Related stories
More from Goddess Names and the threads this story shares.