Situated at the Terai plains of the southern Nepal,
Lumbini is the place where Siddhartha Gautam, the Shakya Prince and the
ultimate Buddha, the Enlighted One, was born in 623 BC. The sacred place,
marked by a stone pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka of Indiain 249 BC, is listed as one of the World Heritage Sites.
Today the holy site is being developed with international
support as the supreme Buddhist pilgrimage and a symbol of world peace. The
shrines and monastries that many countries have built or are still building
reflect the architectural traditions of the respective countries, and thus
giving Lumbini an international feel with a message of universal friendship and
brotherhood.
About 30km east of Lumbini is the village of Tilaurakot which is believed to
have been the location of the Kapilvastu royal palace where the Buddha grew up
as the Shakya dynasty prince, until he renounced it at the age of 29 in search
of enlightenment.
Of Interest
The main attraction at Lumbini remains the SacredGarden, which is spread over 8
sq.km and possesses all the treasures of the historic area. Today as part of
the global initiative to promote Lumbini, many countries have built or are
building temples, monastries or stupas near the SacredGarden in the International
Monastery Zone. Temples or shrines
that have finished their construction so far are MyanmarTemple, International
Gautami Nuns Temple, ChinaTemple, The Nepal Buddha Temple and
the Dharma Swami Maharaja Buddha Vihara.
Ashoka pillar, carrying an inscription identifying the holy
site as the birthplace, is situated nearby the SacredGarden. To one side of Ashoka
pillar is the MayadeviTemplewhich houses a bas relief depicting the nativity. Recent excavations have
turned up a stone bearing a "foot imprint", indicating the exact
place of birth. The Puskarni pond, where Queen Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother,
had taken a bath before giving birth to him lies to the south of the pillar.
Kushinagar is the place where Lord Buddha passed into Mahaparinirvana. Here are
a lot of chaityas, stupas and viharas to see. The Muktabandhana stupa is
believed to have been built by Malla dynasty to preserve the temporal relics of
Lord Buddha. A smaller shrine nearby contains a reclining Buddha which was
brought from Mathura by the monk
Haribala. Bodhgaya is the place where Buddha attained enlightenment. The tree
under which Buddha attained wisdom is called the Bodhi tree, while the temple
marking the sacred spot is known as Mahabodhi temple.
There are also three museums in Lumbini.
The LumbiniMuseum,
located in the Cultural Zone, contains Mauryan and Kushana coins, religious
manuscripts, terra-cotta fragments, and stone and metal sculptures. It also
possesses an extensive collection of stamps from various countries depicting
Lumbini and the Buddha.
Lumbini International Research Institute (LIRI), located
opposite the LumbiniMuseum,
provides research facilities for the study of Buddhism and religion in general.
Run jointly by the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) and the Reiyukai of Japan,
LIRI contains some 12,000 books on religion, philosophy, art and architecture.
KapilvastuMuseumis situated 27 km west of Lumbini in the village of Tilaurakot. The museum holds coins,
pottery and toys dating between the seventh century BC and fourth century AD.
The museum also has good collection of jwellery and other ornaments of that
period.
Getting there and
around
Buses run regulary after every hour or so from morning six
o' clock to afternoon five o' clock to Lumbini from Bhairawa, an industrial
town situated 284 km to the southeast of Lumbini. They are crowded and slow: it
almost takes an hour for the 22km trip.
You can hire a cab for the day for about US$15. The cost may
sound little bit expensive, but it's worth spending if you are travelling in a
small group. The other option is you can hire a three-wheeler tempo for about
half the price.
You can also take a 45-minute flight from Kathmanduto GautamBuddhaAirport at Bhairawa: there are five
flights a week for US$75.
Depending on how long you want to stay in Lumbini, a bicycle
or hiring a rickshaw would be nice to go around but not necessary (expecially
for the fact that one cannot find a bike for rent easily).
Accommodation
Many just make a day trip to Lumbini from neighboring towns
of Butwal, Bhairawa or Sunauli. But if you want to stay in the area, the
peaceful environment of Lumbini is certainly better than those towns. The
Lumbini Hokke Hotel is a spotlessly clean excellent Japanese style hotel for a
rather steep price (US$80 up). The Sri-Lankan Pilgrims' Rest House is a more
modest living place for about US$10; it is a little distance away from the main
center of Lumbini though. The Lumbini Village Lodge is closer and provides
rooms for a few dollar less, but the rooms are very basic at best.
Dining
There is very little choice. There is only one restaurant,
the Lumbini Garden Restaurant, which is about ten minutes walk from the center.
The Lumbini Hokke Hotel (fairly expensive) and The Sri Lankan Pilgrim' Rest
House (very basic menu) are the only other choices.
