Lumbini (birth place of the Budhha)

 

Lumbini is actually the site of Buddhist Pilgrimage that is located in Rupandehi which is a city of Nepal near the Indian border. It is said that Siddhartha Gautama was given birth, by the Queen Mayadevi, here. Siddhartha Gautama as a Buddha Gautama laid the foundation of the tradition of the Buddhist. The life time of Buddha was between 483 and 563 BC roughly. Along with Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar, Lumbini is considered to be one of the most important places for pilgrimage in the life of Buddha.

 

The foothills of Himalaya are where Lumbini is situated. This place lies 25 kilometer in the east of municipality of the Kapilavastu and it is said that Buddha lived here until he was 29 years old. Kapilvastu is actually the name of this place and that of neighboring district as well. There are many temples in this city of Lumbinithat include the Mayadevi temple and many others are there that are still under construction. Another thing to mention is the Holy Pond or the Puskarini. It was the pond where the mother of Buddha dipped herself before the birth of her child as this a ritual there. Buddha himself took his first bath at this holy pond. Another thing worth mentioning is the remains of the Kapilvastu palace. Many other sites are located near the Lumbini and at these sites many buddhas were born and according to their tradition their ultimate awakening was achieved by them and in the end they just gave up their earthly form.

 

In the time of the Buddha, this district was actually a park that was situated between the Devadaha and the Kapilavastu in India. It was the birth place of the Buddha. A pillar is now there which actually a mark of the visit of Asoka to this district. A caption on the pillar shows that it was firstly placed by the people of that placer and later on by the park in charge in order to honor the visit of Asoka and his gifts. In the past the park was known as Rummindei and was located to the North of Bhagavanpura at a distance of about two miles.

 

The verse number 683 of Sutta Nipata states that Buddha was born in village of Sakyans in Lumbineyya Janapada. When Buddha visited Devadaha he had a stay in Lumbinivana and Devadaha Sutta was preached by him there.

 

The archeologists of Nepal discovered a great pillar made of stone at this site in 1896 and they attributed this pillar to the Emperor Ashoka. The pilgrim of China, Fa Xian, made some records and these records were used as well in process to identify this site which is acclaimed religiously.

In 1997 Lumbini became a part of the World Heritage of UNESCO and was nominated specifically the international program of World Heritage.

 

A monastic zone, which is actually very large, borders this holy site. In this monastic zone only the monasteries are allowed to be built and no other building like the hotels, shops or restaurants are allowed.

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