Lumbini

Lumbinī (, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The Buddhist commentaries state that Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 624 BCE. Gautama is believed to have achieved Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India and became the Buddha who founded Buddhism. It is claimed that he died and passed into parinirvana at the age of 80 years, in c.544 BCE. Lumbini is one of the four most sacred pilgrimage sites pivotal in the life of the Buddha.

Lumbini has several old temples, including the Mayadevi Temple, as well as several new temples built by Buddhist organisations from around the world. The majority of the temples have already been completed, with some still under construction. Many monuments, monasteries, stupas, a museum, and the Lumbini International Research Institute are located near the holy site. The Puskarini, or Holy Pond, is where Mayadevi, the Buddha's mother, is said to have taken the ritual bath before his birth, and where the Buddha himself took his first bath. Earlier Buddhas were born near Lumbini, attained ultimate Enlightenment, and eventually abandoned their earthly forms.

Lumbini was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

In Buddha's time

In the time of the Buddha, Lumbini was situated east of Kapilavastu and southwest of Devadaha of Shakya, an oligarchic republic. According to the Buddhist tradition, it was there that the Buddha was born. Ashoka Pillar of Lumbini, a monolithic column with an inscription in the ancient Brahmi script discovered at Rupandehi in 1896, is believed to mark the spot of Ashoka's visit to Lumbini. The site was not known as Lumbini before the pillar was discovered. The translation of the inscription (by Paranavitana) reads:

The park was previously known as Rupandehi, north of Bhagavanpura. The Sutta Nipáta (vs. 683) states that the Buddha was born in a village of the Sákyans in the Lumbineyya Janapada. The Buddha stayed in Lumbinívana during his visit to Devadaha and there preached the Devadaha Sutta.

Pillar of Ashoka

In 1896, former Commander-In-Chief of the Nepalese Army General Khadga Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana and Alois Anton Führer discovered a great stone pillar at Rupandehi, according to the crucial historical records made by the ancient Chinese monk-pilgrim Xuanzang in the 7th century CE and by another ancient Chinese monk-pilgrim Faxian in the early 5th century CE. The Brahmi inscription on the pillar gives evidence that Ashoka, emperor of the Maurya Empire, visited the place in 3rd century BCE and identified it as the birthplace of the Buddha.

At the top of the pillar, there is a second inscription by King Ripumalla (1234 Saka Era, 13-14th century CE), who is also known from an inscription at the Nigali Sagar pillar:

A second pillar of Ashoka is located about 22 kilometers to the northwest of Lumbini, the Nigali Sagar pillar (with inscription), and a third one 24 kilometers to the west, the Gotihawa pillar (without inscription).

Lumbini complex

Lumbini is in length and in width. The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, hotels or restaurants. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone, the eastern having the Theravadin monasteries, the western having Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries. There is a long water-filled canal separating the western and eastern zones, with a series of brick arch bridges joining the two sides along the length. The canal is serviced by simple outboard motor boats at the north end which provide tours. The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Ashokan pillar and the Mayadevi Temple, a site traditionally considered to be the birthplace of the Buddha. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.

File:Nepal DSCN2126a.jpg, Ancient ruins at Lumbini
File:Lumbini, Buddhist pilgrims 2, Tree, Nepal.jpg, Bodhi tree
File:Mayadevi Temple and ruins of ancient monasteries in Lumbini 03.jpg, Mayadevi Temple and ruins of ancient monasteries

Lumbini complex is divided into three areas: the Sacred Garden, the Monastic Zone and the Cultural Center and New Lumbini Village. The Sacred Garden remains the epicenter of the Lumbini area and consists of the birthplace of Buddha and other monuments of archaeological and spiritual importance such as the Mayadevi Temple, the Ashoka Pillar, the Marker Stone, the Nativity Sculpture, Puskarini Sacred Pond and other structural ruins of Buddhist stupas and viharas. The Monastic Zone, spanning an area of one square mile is divided into two zones: the East Monastic Zone which represents the Theravada school of Buddhism and the West Monastic Zone which represents the Mahayana and Vajrayana schools of Buddhism, with their respective monasteries on the either side of a long pedestrian walkway and canal. Marking the monastic spot as a sacred pilgrimage site, many countries have established Buddhist stupas and monasteries in the monastic zone with their unique historical, cultural and spiritual designs. The Cultural Center and New Lumbini Village comprises the Lumbini Museum, Lumbini International Research Institute, World Peace Pagoda of Japan, Lumbini Crane Sanctuary and other administrative offices. The Government of Bangladesh is currently constructing a major Buddhist monastery in Lumbini.

File:Nepal Temple.JPG, Nepalese Temple
File:Lumbini-44-indischer Tempel-2013-gje.jpg, Indian Temple
File:Shanti stupa, World Peace Pagoda, Lumbini.jpg, Japanese Stupa
File:Royal Thai Monastery, Lumbini.jpg, Royal Thailand Monastery
File:Zhong Hua Chinese Buddhist Monastery, Lumbini, Nepal.jpg, Chinese Monastery
File:German Buddhist Temple (9105852247).jpg, German Monastery
File:French monastery.jpg, French Monastery
File:2015-03-16 Lumbini（Sri Lanka temple）ルンビニ・スリランカ寺 DSCF1296.jpg, Sri Lankan Temple
File:Stupa in Lumbini.jpg, South Korean Temple
File:2015-03-16 Lumbini（Cambodian Monastery）ルンビニ・カンボジア寺 DSCF1438.jpg, Cambodian Monastery
File:Austrian monastery 2.jpg, Austrian Monastery
File:Singapore monstery.jpg, Singapore Monastery
File:Temple By Canada.jpg, Canadian Temple
File:Vietnamese Temple (Phat Quoc Tu) in Lumbini, Nepal 2019-04-09.jpg, Vietnamese Temple
File:Urgen Dorjee Choling Buddhist Centre, Lumbini, Nepal.jpg, Urgen Dorjee Choling Centre
File:The Golden Temple in Lumbini.jpg, Golden Temple of Myanmar
File:Construction of "Russian" Buddhist Monestery at Lumbini the birthplace of the Lord Buddha.jpg, Russian Monastery (under construction, April 2024)

Religious significance

Before parinirvana at the age of eighty, Gautama Buddha gave a sermon to his disciples on the significance of Lumbini as a place of pilgrimage (Dīghanikāya, 16; Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta):

Along with Lumbini, which is the Buddha's place of birth, Bodh Gaya where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath where he gave his first sermon and Kushinagar where he attained parinirvana are the four most significant pilgrimage sites in Buddhism. These four places form a pilgrimage circuit along Buddha's Holy Sites.

Excavation at the Mayadevi Temple in 2013

New excavations in the Mayadevi temple in Lumbini in 2013 revealed a series of the most ancient Buddhist shrines in South Asia extending the history of the site to a much earlier date. According to Robin Coningham, excavations beneath existing brick structures at the Mayadevi Temple at Lumbini provide evidence for an older timber structure beneath the walls of a brick Buddhist shrine built during the Ashokan era (3rd-century BCE). The layout of the Ashokan shrine closely follows that of the earlier timber structure, which suggests a continuity of worship at the site. The pre-Mauryan timber structure appears to be an ancient tree shrine. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal from the wooden postholes and optically stimulated luminescence dating of elements in the soil suggests human activity began at Lumbini around 1000 BCE. The site, states Coningham, may be a Buddhist monument from 6th century BCE. Other scholars state that the excavations revealed nothing that is Buddhist, and they only confirm that the site predates the Buddha.

Other developments

Nepal's central bank has introduced a 100-rupee Nepali note featuring Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. The Nepal Rastra Bank said the new note would be accessible only during the Dashain, Nepal's major festival in the time of September/October. It displays the portrait of Mayadevi, Gautam Buddha's mother in silver metallic on the front. The note also has a black dot which would help the blind recognise the note. The name of the central bank in Roman script would be printed on the note along with the date of printing in both the Gregorian Era and the Bikram Era. The new note is being issued following a cabinet decision on 27 August.

Nipponzan Myohoji decided to build a Peace Pagoda in the park in 2001, which is visited by many different cultures and religions every day. Because some Hindus regard the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, thousands of Hindus have begun to come here on pilgrimage during the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (April–May) to worship Queen Mayadevi as Rupa Devi, the mother goddess of Lumbini. Lumbini was granted World Heritage status by UNESCO in 1997.

In 2011, the Lumbini Development National Director Committee was formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Prachanda. The committee was given the authority to "draft a master plan to develop Lumbini as a peaceful and tourism area and table the proposal" and the responsibility to gather international support for the same.

In 2022 on Buddha's Birthday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, jointly laid the foundation stone for the Indian monastery in Lumbini. Nepal-India cultural events are held annually in Lumbini highlighting the close spiritual and cultural connection between the two countries. António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations visited to Lumbini in October of 2023 and "urged everyone to reflect on the core teachings of Buddhism and their relevance in today’s troubled world ", highlighting conflicts around the world from Middle East to Ukraine to Africa, undermining of global rules and their devastating impacts on ordinary people, especially women and children.

Tourism

In 2019, Lumbini received 1.5 million tourists from around the world.

Transport

Lumbini is a 10-hour drive from Kathmandu and a 30-minute drive from Bhairahawa. The closest airport is Gautam Buddha Airport at Bhairahawa, with flights to and from Kathmandu.

Places to visit

* Maya Devi Temple
* World Peace Pagoda, Lumbini
* Ashoka Pillar of Lumbini
* Lumbini Crane Sanctuary

New hotel construction

The nearest airport to Lumbini, Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa, is currently undergoing expansion. This small domestic airport is soon expected to become an international airport, with the latest deadline set for 2019

. The airport expansion attracted investors and hoteliers, and a series of new hotels are being constructed in and around Lumbini, hoping to cash in on the expected international tourist boom once the airport expansion work is completed.

Sister cities

Lumbini has four official sister cities:
* Kushinagar, India (2022)
* Bodh Gaya, India
* Cáceres, Spain
* Kōya, Japan

See also

* Bodh Gaya
* Sarnath
* Kushinagar
* Maya Devi Temple, Lumbini
* Lumbini Buddhist University
* Lumbini Development Trust
* Lumbini pillar inscription
* Pillars of Ashoka
* Ramagrama stupa
* Kindo Baha
* Pranidhipurna Mahavihar
* Rajgir
* World Peace Pagoda
* List of stupas in Nepal
* List of Buddhist monasteries in Nepal

Notes

References

Further reading

*

Bibliography

*

External links

Lumbini On Trial: The Untold Story
*

Lumbini at the Open Directory Project

Lumbini at WorldHeritageSite.org Listing

{{World Heritage Sites in Nepal , state=expanded

Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Nepal
Populated places in Rupandehi District
World Heritage Sites in Nepal
Rupandehi District
Buddhist archaeological sites
Archaeological sites in Nepal
Cultural heritage of Nepal