LUMBINI

A famous pilgrimage in the southwest Nepal has been an invaluable depository of Buddhism since Gautam Buddha was born there 543 B.C.  Preserved there are the image of Maya Devi, mother of the Buddha, and many other valuable images and structures. World renowned sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site, Lumbini is also a place of great attraction for tourists. Lumbini lies in the district of Rupendehi which used to be an independent   kingdom at the time of Lord Buddha.

 Emperor Ashok of India had visited Lumbini as a memory of which a stone pillar was erected by him with some dectiptive  inscription in Sanskrit which when translated reads as follows: 

 “When Devanmpriya Priyadarsan  (that is how Emperor Ashok was known as being popular among gods) had been anointed 20 years, he visited in person, worshipped this spot for its being the birth pale of Buddha Sakyamuni, he caused to make stone horse(?) And also to set up a stone pillar (in order to mark the spot where the Buddha was born). “

The discovery of the inscription made by Dr. A. A. Fuhrer in December 1896AD  has fixed firmly the very spot of the Lumbini grove where under a sal tree Siddhartha Gautam Buddha was born to Maya Devi, more than 2,500 years ago. Richly endowed with history and having stored remnants of valuable ancient oriental arts in old monasteries, this place is attracting many tourists from abroad. 

A pond in the Lumbini garden which used to be the bathing place of Lord Buddha at his early age was excavated in 1931 and is now preserved for all to see. Famous pilgrims of past like Fa-hsien and Huen Tsang, the famous scholars of ancient China who made the long arduous journey to visit this place have mentioned about it in their scriptures. 

A comprehensive plan has been made in International scale at the initiative of United Nations to build up this area so as to suit for all types of visitors. Provision of beautiful gardens, rest houses, libraries, monasteries constructed by many countries of the world depicting their national architecture, transport and communication facilities and various other attractions are featured in the plan. Manifold actions are under way and a lot of construction works have been completed as well. A wide campaign for raising fund for completion of remaining parts of the plan is under way in Nepal and many other countries of the world.