LUMBINI

 Lumbini, the historical birthplace of lord Gautama Buddha, the lord of peace and founder of Buddism. Lumbini is one of the most important religious sites in world. The man who would later achieve enlightenment under a Bodhi tree, inspiring a global philosophy of peace and reflection, was born under a sal tree in Lumbini in 563 BC. We can hear the meditating monks saying 'Lumbini has undergone a major renaissance over the last few years, and new monastries are springing up faster here than you can say 'om mani padme hum'.

                After years of work at lumbini , archaeologists are now fairly certain that Gautam buddha was indeed born in Lumbini,Nepal. Anyone can spend here one or two days exploring the sites. The maya devi temple is the centre of lumbini. The revered Maya devi temple sits on the exact site of the birth of the Buddha. Here we can descern the shape of maya devi grasping a sal branch and giving birth to the Buddha. The pond beside the temple is believed to be where Maya devi bathed before giving birth to Buddha. The another important historical document of Lumbini is Ashoka pillar. An Indian imperor Ashoka visited lumbini in 249 BC leaving behind a sandstone pillar to commemorate the occasion. Since the  Lumbini Development Zone was founded in 1978, Buddhist nations from around the world have constructed extravagent monasteries around the birthplace of the Buddha. A large building where the footprints of Buddha in a stone is also a important site to see. Not only this but the various pagoda stupas made by China and Korea are very much artistic and meaningful. Outside the main compound we can visit World Peace Pagoda and Lumbini Crane Sanchuary.

                One who visit Lumbini he not only visits the religious place of Buddhists but he also visits a naturally gifted place and the combined art from all over the world.