LUMBINI BIRTH PLACE OF LORD BOUDDHA

LUMBINI BIRTH PLACE OF LORD BOUDDHA
Lumbini, the place where the newly born Prince Siddhartha (known as Buddha) took hos first seven steps and uttered an epoch-making message to the suffering humanity. This happened in a beautiful sal grove, which is now the focal point of the Lunbini Garden area. Maya Devi, the queen of Shakya King Suddhodhana of Kapilvastu, while passing through the Lumbini Garden, on the day of "Vaisakha Poornima" (Full Moon Day of May 623 B.C) took a bath in the Pushkarini (the Sacred Pond) ans soon after she took support of a tree branch, then gave borth to the Crown Prince Siddharthe, who became Buddha. The Lumbini Garden covers an area of 2.56 sq.km and encompasses three zones each covering one square mile connected with walkways and canal. The area has a sub tropical monsoon climate with a warm wet season.

SACRED GARDEN:
It is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNSECO, Lumbini is being developed with international support as the supreme Buddhist pilgrims and a symbol of world peace. The Sacred Garden wherethe Buddha was born converges on the Ashoka pillar, which carries an inscription indentifying the spot as the birthplace. The serene tree, shaded lawn is dotted with brick mounds ruins of ancientstupas and monasteries. To one side of the pillar is Mayadevi Temple, which houses a bas-releifdepicting the nativity. Recent excavations have turned up a stone bearing a "foot imprint" indicatingthe exact place of birth. The Puskarni pond where Queen Mayadevi the Buddha's mother had used totake bath.

TEMPLES AND MONASTERIES:
The Locamani Cula Pagoda, a gleaming gold and white structure gracefully soaring into the sky inthe style of shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, is also known as the Myanmar Temple. Nearby the international Gautami Nuns Temple is a fine replica of the Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu. Thereis also a guest house for pilgrims here. The magnificient China, the Centerpiece at the Zhing Hua Buddhist Monastery is a huge statue of the Buddha houses in its main pagoda. Across the road the Dae sung suk Ga SA Korean Temple is still under construction, but its guest house has been completed.Its prayer room conatins beautiful Buddha images.The Nepal Buddha Temple and the Dharma Swami Maharaja Buddha Bihar are located inside the sacred Garden. A number of other countries like Japan, srilanka, Vietnam and Thailand have also joined in erecting temples and Monasteries.

MUSEUM:
The Lumbini Museum, Located in the cultural zone contains Mauryan and Kushana coins, religiousmanuscripts, terra-cotta fragments and stone and metal sculptures. It also possesses an extensivecollection of stamps from various countries symbolizing Lumbini and the Buddha.

LUMBINI INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (LIRI)
It is located opposite the Lumbini Museum, provides research facilities for the study of Buddhismand religion in general. Run jointly by the Lumbini Development Trust and the Reiyukai of Japan, LIRI contains some 1200 books on religion Philosophy, art and architecture.

KAPILVASTU MUSEUM:
It is situated 27 km west of Lumbini in the village of Tilaurakot. The museum hold coins, pottery and toys deting between the seventh century B.C and fourth century A.D. The museum also has a good collection of jewelery and other ornaments from that period. Open daily excepttuesday and Holidays, 10 am to 5 pm.

TILAURAKOT:
An important archeological site lying to the west of Lumnini, Tilaurakotevokes the ancient palace of King Suddhodhan, Siddartha Gautam's father where the buddha spent his formative years as a Shakya prince. A must for archeology and history buffs.