LUMIBINI:Must Visit Buddhist Destination in Your Lifetime

LUMBINI,Nepal:The Holy Birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha

At the age of 80, before Lord Buddha passed away in Kushinagara, he said
to his faithful disciple Ananda:
There are four places, Ananda, that a pious person should visit and look upon
with feelings of reverence. What are the four?
'Here the Tathagata was born!'[Lumbini] This, Ananda, is a place that a pious
person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
'Here the Tathagata became fully enlightened in unsurpassed, supreme
Enlightenment!'[Bodhgaya] .
'Here the Tathagata set rolling the unexcelled Wheel of the Dhamma!'[Sarnath]
'Here the Tathagata passed away into the state of Nibbana in which no element
of clinging remains!' [Kusinara].
'And whoever, Ananda, should die on such a pilgrimage with his heart
established in faith, at the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn
in a realm of heavenly happiness.'
(Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha )

       Mahaparinirbhana By Tathagat Buddha
From the sources above, it appears that the concept of Lumbini as the birth
place of Lord Buddha was established as lectured in scripts.

The Lord Buddha was born in 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal, testified by the inscription on the pillar erected by the Mauryan Emperor Asoka in 249 BC. Lumbini is one of the holiest places of one of the world's great religions, and its remains contain important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from as early as the 3rd century BC.

The complex of structures within the archaeological conservation area includes the Shakya Tank; the remains within the Maya Devi Temple consisting of brick structures in a cross-wall system dating from the 3rd century BC to the present century and the sandstone Ashoka pillar with its Pali inscription in Brahmi script. Additionally there are the excavated remains of Buddhist viharas (monasteries) of the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and the remains of Buddhist stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

 As the birthplace of the Lord Buddha: 1.testified by the inscription on the Asoka pillar, the sacred area in Lumbini is one of the most holy and significant places for one of the world’s great religions.

2. The archaeological remains of the Buddhist viharas (monasteries) and stupas (memorial shrines) from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD, provide important evidence about the nature of Buddhist pilgrimage centres from a very early period.

For the visitors:

Today you can visit over 25 international Buddhist monasteries, study Buddhism, meditation and visit Buddha's birthplace itself within the sacred Mayadevi Gardens!

                          Mayadevi Temple

                       Ashoka Pillar
Mayadevi Temple is one of the important sites in the Lumbini Garden with many historians and archaeologists referring to it as the place of birth of Lord Buddha. Inscriptions on the Ashoka Pillar also refers the spot as his birthplace. It is said that here the newly born Prince took his first seven steps and gave a peace message to humanity.

This happened in the beautiful Sal grove, which is now the focal point of the Lumbini Garden. Mayadevi, the Queen of Shakya King Suddhodhana of Kapilvastu, while passing through the Lumbini Garden, on the day of  Baishakha Purnima (full moon day of May in 623 BC) took a bath in the Pushkarini (the Sacred Pond) and soon after she took support of a tree branch, and gave birth to the Prince Siddhartha, who became the Buddha.  

Visit beautiful monasteries built by different Buddhist countries like China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Germany and observe the different architecture and prayer areas. Soak up the peaceful atmosphere and above all  visit the Mayadevi Temple which dates back to 2,200 years, which archaeological evidence proclaim as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam or Lord Buddha in 623 BC

                     Inscription on Ashoka Pillar

You can walk around the garden or find a peaceful meditative spot to contemplate. The focal point for pilgrims is a sandstone carving depicting the birth of the Buddha, reputedly left here by the Malla King Ripu Malla, in the 14th century, when Mayadevi was worshipped as an incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess. Another main attraction is the Ashokan Pillar, which was built by the great Indian Emperor Ashoka while visiting the birthplace of Buddha back in 249 BC.

One can visit the Panditarama Vipassana Center for some yoga and meditation and interact with the monks, who live in the vicinity of the monasteries, devoting their time to balancing the environment with religious worship.

The Lumbini Garden covers an area of 2.56 sq km or 1 x 3 sq miles and encompasses three zones each covering one square mile connected with walkways and a canal. The area has sub tropical monsoon climate with warm wet season.

Useful links for visitors:www.tourism.gov.np
                                       www.welcomenepal.com
                                        http://whc.unesco.org
                                http://lumbinidevtrust.gov.np
                                     
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