Lumbini, the holy land for both Buddhists and Hindus lies in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. The site is a large garden with a grove of pipal trees and some other types of terrain plants and trees.
According to Buddhist tradition the Lord Buddha was born here in 642 BC or 2556 years ago as a Prince Siddhartha. His father was a king from Kapilavastu and his Mother was Queen Maya Devi. By the time of the full Moon in May, Mayadevi was on the way to her parent’s home to Devadaha on the same time she started to feel labor pain because of that she took support by grabbing branches of the Shade tree. It was not in the hospital not in the home, it was completely in the green grass garden she gave birth to the present Buddha (Shakyamuni Buddha). As the Buddhist tradition says he stepped seven steps in every direction just immediately after his birth proclaiming that “This is my final rebirth" for peace, love, and compassion.
In 249 BC, the Buddhist-converted Emperor Ashoka visited in Lumbini and constructed four stupas. Also, he had erected a stone pillar with the script written in PALI language that the mighty Lord Sakyamuni Buddha had been born here and the king Piyadasi (Ashoka) himself made the Royal visit. He also made Lumbini village was taxed freed site and entitled to eight parts like Niglihawa, Gothihawa, Sagarahawa, Araurakot, Sisahaniya, Kudan (Taulihawa), Tilaurakot, and Ramagrama.
The garden of the Buddha's birthplace was lost for a thousand years after the arrival of Islam and Hinduism. Monasteries and temples were built at Lumbini until the 9th century after then Buddhism started to decline around the sites. The site was rediscovered only in 1895 when a German archaeologist came and kept an eye on Ashoka's Pillar and tried to identify it by its inscription. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Fa Xian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site. Then Lumbini was designated a UNESCO cultural world heritage site in 1997.
What to See at Lumbini
Maya Devi Temple, which enshrines the traditional site of the Buddha's birth, the modern temple consists mainly of a simple white building that protects ancient ruins, with the exact spot of the Buddha's birth identified. The current temple stands on the site of earlier temples and stupas, including the stupa built by Ashoka.
Sacred pool: where it is said Maya Devi bathed before giving birth, and where the newborn Buddha was washed by two dragons.
Ashokan Pillar: It is protected by a small fence, which is decorated with prayer flags and banners from the faithful. In this stone pillar, King Ashoka had written that the mighty Buddha was born in this place.
World peace stupa: The Government of Japan built the world peace Stupa for the faithful of peace and compassion.
Central channel and flame: straight ahead of the main existence of Maya Devi temple the paved path leads to the central channel begins it is simply like a lake, it is a symbol of dignity and peace regularity. At the just beginning of the channels, the 24-hour burning flames are standing.
Monastic Zone: inside the sacred garden there are so many different monasteries built by different countries. All those are very important and interesting. Among them, a German monastery is one of the most interesting to visit.
The Museum, The international research center, and The Meditation Centre: These sites are also very interesting and impressive in Lumbini.
