Looking for chariya dance poses in buildings to understand the connection between dance and architecture. Swayambhu is an ancient Buddhist complex, in the north-west of Kathmandu, including 320 chaityas and 275 statues. It’s one of the seven world heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley. The Mangal Bahudvara Chaitya, newly restored after the 2015 earthquake, presents chariya dance poses from the second floor upwards, mainly for protection. Interestingly, a local expert explained that when one statue with chariya poses was missing, it would be replaced by a statue of Buddha, just to err on the safe side.

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