Lumbini

Lumbini is the most important Buddhist pilgrimage site. Lord Buddha, Asia’s Star and a symbol of peace, was born in Lumbini while his mother was traveling from Kapilvastu to her ancestral home.

He was born in 623 B.C. on a full moon day in the month of Baisakh, under a Saal tree (Shorea Robusta), as Maya Devi (his mother) was on her way to her maternal town to give birth.

After his birth, Buddha is claimed to have taken seven steps north, which are now represented by seven lotus flowers, and then looked in all directions, declaring, “I am the first of all beings to overcome the riddle of existence’s ocean, this is my last birth, and I will not be born again.”

Siddhartha, a newly born Hindu prince, had mystical birth signs, indicating that the kid would bring salvation to the world. The ascetic (Rishis) told the king that if the youngster came across a sick person, an elderly person, a dead body, or the ascetic, he might renounce the world at any time.

Alarmed by this, the monarch married Prince Siddhartha at a young age and nearly imprisoned him in pleasure palaces, supplying him with all kinds of pleasures in order for him to be happy and stay there. The prophecy, however, came true, and he became The Buddha.

Lumbini should be visited and observed by believers because it is one of Buddhism’s four sacred sites.

Bodhgaya, Kushinagar, and Sarnath are the other locations in India.

There are several more points of interest in the area. Bhairawa is reachable by plane from Kathmandu. By bus or automobile, it takes roughly eight hours from Kathmandu.

Lumbini is situated in Nepal in the foothills of the Himalayas about

  • 22 kilometers from Bhairahawa.
  • 230 kilometers from Kathmandu.
  • 122 kilometers from Gorakhpur city in Uttar Pradesh, India.
  • 181 kilometers from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
  • 240 kilometers from Sravasti of Uttar Pradesh in North India.

ATTRACTIONS IN AND AROUND LUMBINI

The birthplace, with its sceneries and verdant trees, is fascinating in and of itself. The Maya Devi temple, as well as the stupas and pillars built by renowned King Ashoka, are all worth seeing.

Devotees from all around the world have recently built a number of stunning shrines. A visit to Lumbini is not just for spiritual enlightenment, but also for the peace and contentment that comes with being in such a serene and quiet environment.

TEMPLE OF MAYA DEVI

The enormous pillar was discovered in 1895 by Fuehrer, a famous German archaeologist, and later studies and excavations of the surrounding areas revealed the existence of a brick temple and a sandstone sculpture within the temple itself that depicts scenes from Buddha’s birth.

The famed sacred bathing pool known as Puskarni is located to the south of the Maya Devi shrine. Maya Devi is said to have taken a bath in this pool before giving birth.

The temple was constructed throughout time and comprises various Buddhist temples.

In 249 BC, Ashoka inscribed and essentially built the Ashokan Pillar.

In honor of Buddha‘s birth, Ashoka granted Lumbini tax-free status, according to the inscription on the pillar (the oldest in Nepal). It stands 6 meters tall, half of which is underground. It is located behind and to the west of the Maya Devi Temple.

Various Monasteries in and around Lumbini

  • International Nunnery ( Gautami Temple)
  • Sri Lanka Monastery
  • Lokamani Cula Pagoda ( Myanmar Golden Monastery)
  • Cambodian Monastery
  • Maha Bodhi Society
  • Royal Thai Monastery
  • Nepal Mahayana Temple
  • Manang Sewa Samaj Stupa
  • Swayambhu Stupa
  • Karma Samten Ling Monastery
  • Vietnam Phat Quoc Tu
  • Chinese Monastery
  • Korean Monastery
  • Geden International Austria
  • Thrangu Vajra Vidya Canadian Buddhist Association
  • Lumbini Udyana Mahachaitya
  • LinhSon Monastery France
  • Tara Foundation (Germany)
  • Shenechen Stupa for Universal Peace
  • Urgen Dorjee Choling Buddhist
  • Nepal Traditional Buddhist Monastery

You can also look at our Lumbini tour package for a carefree tour of the land of peace.