Lumbini: The Birth Place of The Buddha

The Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. He was born on the full moon day of May 623 BC, in Lumbini, Nepal, and named Siddhartha. His father Suddhodhana was king of Kapilvastu, a small town in south-western Nepal. When his mother Maya Devi, Siddhartha was raised by Prajapati Gautami. After Maya Devi, Prajapati Gautami is another important woman figure in the Buddha’s life. She was not only his aunt and step-mother, but also the first woman to become a Buddhist nun. The Buddha’s teachings include the Four Noble Truth and the Eightfold Path.

Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, is about 300 km south-west of Kathmandu, Nepal, and four hours drive from Gorakhpur, India. There is a garden in Lumbini, called Lumbini Sacred Garden, which is protected by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. In Lumbini Sacred Garden, there is ancient temple dedicated to Maya Devi, the Buddha’s mother. Inside the temple you can see ruins of ancient Maya Devi Temple, Buddha Nativity Sculpture and the Marker Stone, found during the excavation of the site. Buddha Nativity Sculpture depicts the birth of the Buddha and Marker Stone marks the exact spot where the Buddha was born.

The earliest archeological evidence about Lumbini as the birthplace of the Buddha is a stone pillar laid by Indian Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC. Other historical reference regarding historicity of Lumbini includes a travel account by a Chinese pilgrim in 4^th century.

Tilaurakot was the home of Siddhartha Gautama, where he had lived for 29 years. Tilaurakot is 41 km west of Lumbini. In Tilaurakot, the ruins of Suddhodhana’s palace can still be seen. Suddhodhana’s kingdom is referred as Kapilvastu. There are lots of religious and archaeological sites in and around Lumbini.

Nepal is celebrating 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year.

From Kathmandu

There are regular flights from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Bhairahawa, the nearest town to Lumbini. Kathmandu-Bhairahawa flight takes about 35 minutes. Bhairahawa to Lumbini is 22 km, and you can take a taxi or bus from Bhairahawa airport to Lumbini. If you want to take a bus from Kathmandu to Lumbini, it is 300 km, and takes about 10 hours.

From Sunauli, the Indian border

If you enter Nepal from India through Sunauli border, you can reach Lumbini from Sunauli in about one hour in a taxi.

Historical references to Lumbini

Lumbini was one of the cities in Kapilvastu, ruled by Shakya dynasty. Suddhodhana was the King, his kingdom was called Kapilvastu, and Tilaurakot was the capital. People in Kapilvastu were called Shakyas. King Suddhodhana’s only son Siddhartha abandoned royal life and became the Buddha. Years later, Siddhartha’s son Rahula too, became a monk. Shakya’s lineage ended and the rein went to the hands of another clan.

Legend has it Virudhaka, a king from Kosal, India, invaded Kapilvastu, torched the cities, and mutilated Shakyas. That was the retribution against Shakyas’ mischief; they had wedded his father to a slave. The vengeance came from the son of a slave. The Buddha was able to avert war for three times but eventually failed on the fourth attempt. Lumbini and other cities of Kapilvastu were eventually destroyed and lost in the rapids of time.

Ashoka, Indian king of Mauryan dynasty, visited Lumbini in 249 BC and erected a stone pillar marking the birth place of the Buddha. The inscriptions on the pillar read “Shakya muni Buddha was born here.” According to the chronicles, Ashoka worshipped the Nativity Tree, the tree under which Siddhartha was born; paid homage to the Pushkarini pond, and visited the places like Kudan, Ramgrama, Gotihawa and Niglihawa, the places associated with the Buddha. Ashoka also marked his visit in these places by erecting stone pillars. Pillars erected by Ashoka are called Ashokan Pillars, which can still be seen in these places.

Chinese pilgrims, in different times, travelled to the birthplace of the Buddha and wrote about Lumbini. Tseng Tsai visited Lumbini in the 4^th century, Fa-Hsien in 5^th century and Hiuen Tsang in 7^th century. Among these Chinese pilgrims, Hiuen Tsang’s travel account is very descriptive. He gives detailed account of his visit, and describes the Ashokan Pillars. In 1312 AD, Ripu Malla, a King from Sinja, a satellite Kingdom in Nepal, visited Lumbini and left a stone inscription marking his visit.

Slowly, Lumbini and other cities associated with the Buddha were forgotten and the jungle began to engulf the entire area. Lumbini was lost for 600 years. Even the name was forgotten, people began to call it Rummindei and then later Rupandehi. Today, Lumbini is in Rupandehi district. It is a small town in the southern lowland called Terai, and very close to Nepal-India border.

During the archaeological survey in 1896, General Khadga Shumshere Rana and Dr. Alois Fuhrer discovered Ashokan Pillar in Lumbini. However, nothing concrete was done to protect the site until 1930. In 1930, under the guidance of General Kesar SJB Rana, a large scale excavation was carried out in Lumbini. During the excavation, Marker Stone, the stone that marks the exact birth spot of the Buddha was discovered. Other discoveries included the Buddha’s Nativity Sculpture, and gold casket.

On the occasion of the fourth World Buddhist Conference, in 1956, King Mahendra and United Nations General Secretary U. Thant visited Lumbini and chalked out a plan to preserve the history of Lumbini.

In 1970, Kenzo Tange was assigned to develop Lumbini Master Plan. Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) was established in 1985 to take over the responsibilities of management and development of Lumbini and adjacent areas. Lumbini Master Plan developed by Prof Kenzo Tange is still underway.

The Committee of UNESCO World Heritage recognized Lumbini as the birthplace of the Buddha and included Lumbini in World Heritage Site in 1997.

Points to Remember While Visiting Lumbini Sacred Garden

• Always follow the foot trails
• Do not walk on the monuments
• Do no collect soil or bricks
• Do not offer anything to the Ashokan Pillar or the Nativity Sculpture
• Get permission to use camera

For details contact:

Lumbini Development Trust

Head Office:

Lumbini Sacred Garden

Tel: 977-71-580198, 580200, 580194, 580196

Fax: 977-71-580181

Email: ldt@hons.com.np

Kathmandu Office:

Babar Mahal, Kathamdnu

The.: 977-01-4268285, 4268494

Fax: 977-01-4268286

Email: lumbinidt@info.com.np

Web: www.lumbinitrust.org

Nepal Tourism Board

Tourist service Centre

Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu, Nepal

Tel: 977-014256909, 4256229, 4226359

Fax: 977-014256910

Email: info@ntb.org.np

Web: www.welcomenepal.com