Lumbini

Lumbini lies in the Terai district of Rupandehi in mid-southwestern region of Nepal and has earned world fame as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam Buddha, the Enlightened One. Lumbini is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Maurya Emperor Ashoka of India visited Lumbini in 245 B.C. and erected a pillar signifying the sacred spot where the Lord first put his foot after birth.

Two famous Chinese pilgrims, Fa Hien and Hueng Tsang, visited the site in the 5th and 7th centuries respectively and wrote about this sacred place in their travelogues. The main temple is named after Buddha’s mother, Maya Devi. A large number of Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world visit Lumbini to pray at the Maya Devi Temple where excavations have revealed the ‘marker stone’ showing the exact spot where Siddhartha Gautam Buddha was born.

Construction and development works have been going on in Lumbini since the last couple of decades to give shape to Japanese architect Prof. Tange’s master plan for the development of Lumbini, and countries with large or sizable Buddhist populations have lent a hand in constructing monasteries and infrastructure in support of the master plan. These include temples, monasteries, rest houses and stupas by countries such as China, India, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Access: Lumbini lies 22 km from Bhairahawa, a major industrial city bordering India. There are regular buses from Bhairahawa to Lumbini. Taxis are available at Bhairahawa. Bhairahawa is well connected by air with the capital.