LUMBINI

Introduction:
Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Gautam Buddha. It is situated in district of Rupandehi, Nepal. It is one of the most important pilgrimage site of Nepal. It was the month of Vaisakh poornima (Full Moon Day of the first month of Nepali calendar) of 623BC when lord Buddha was born. Mayadevi the queen of Shakya King Suddhodana gave birth to little prince on the way to maternal hometown Devadaha. Buddha literatures mentioned that newly born Siddhartha walked seven steps and uttered and epoch making message to the suffering humanity in the Lumbini Garden.


The devotees and visitors from all over the world come to Lumbini , the timeless place where ancient monuments glory and peaceful environment with spiritual atmosphere are available. The famous maurya Emperor Asoka guided by his spiritual teacher Upagupta made a pilgrimage to this holy site in 249BC. He erected a stone pillar bearing an inscription stating clearly “Hida buddhe jate Sakyamuniti”(here Sakyamuni Buddha was born).He laid importance to the marker stone and constructed few other structures to make the exact birthplace of the Buddha.
King Ripu Malla(1312AD) Karnali, west Nepal visited Lumbini and left the mark of his visit engraving “Om mani padme hum Ripu Malla ciranjayatu”on the top of the pillar.
Some attractions of Lumbini:
 Mayadevi Temple
 The Royal Monastery(Thailand)
 Monastery of Mahabodhi Society of Kolkata
 Manmar Monastery(Myanmar)
 International Nuns’ Temple(Nepal)
 Kagyud Meditation Centre(India)
 Sokyo Temple(Japan)
 Linhson Monastery(France)
 Chinese Monasteries(China)
 Korean Mahabodi SocietyMonastery(South Korea)
 Vietnam Phat Quoc Tu (Vietnam)
 Geden Internationa(Austria)
 Manang Monastery(Nepal)
 Dharmodaya Sabha Monastery(Nepal)
 Panditarama Meditation Center(Myanmar)

Including Lumbini Museum, Lumbini International Research Institute, World Peace Pagoda(Japan), Eternal Peace Flame, Peace Bell , and Crane Sanctuary add to the beauty of Lumbini.