Lumbini
Lumbini, a town in the Tarai about 22 km (131/2 mi.) west of Bhairawa, is famous as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama the historic Buddha, known as Buddha Shakyamuni. Situated well off the tourist track, almost 250 km (155 mi.) from Kathmandu, Lumbini is a worthwhile detour from the route from Pokhara to the Chitwan National Park. In
this pilgrimage town there is no tourist hustle and bustle - it is visited mainly by Buddhist pilgrims from Japan, Thailand and Tibet retracing Buddha's footsteps through the stations of his life. Lumbini is remarkable only for its tranquility, undisturbed by major celebrations and largely devoid of sights. Only a few relics from the excavation site remain to bear witness to the importance of the town and these have come within the framework of the Lumbini Development Project. Lumbini has been nominated for inclusion on the UNESCO list of world cultural sites. Archaeologists hope for major discoveries both here and at Tilaurikot (27 km (17 mi.) west), once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kapilvastu. At the present time excavation work is under way.
To visit Lumbini from Kathmandu, a distance of almost 250 km (155 mi.), requires special reason. But it is worth a short detour if traveling from Pokhara via Tansen to Chitwan.
Siddhartha Gautama, or Buddha as he became, was born in Lumbini in about 543 bc. He was a prince of the Shakya dynasty who ruled the small kingdom of Kapilvastu. The Lumbini area was part of India until incorporated into Nepal in 1856.
According to legend Queen Maya Devi was journeying to her parents' home to give birth to her child (Siddhartha) when, resting in a shady grove, her labor began. A sal tree is said to have lowered its branches for her to hold - a scene which has inspired countless sculptors and painters.
In 249 bc the great Indian Emperor Ashoka, patron of Buddhism, came to Lumbini and erected a stone column. He may even have prompted the development of Lumbini as a Buddhist site, for when the Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang visited in the 7th c. he reported finding monasteries and stupas there, though already fallen into disrepair. Whether as a result of Muslim invasion or the spread of Hinduism, any such tradition had long since died out when, in 1895, a German archaeologist discovered Ashoka's Column buried deep beneath jungle vegetation. Even then no attempt was made to preserve Buddha's birthplace. U Thant, the Burmese former Secretary General of the United Nations, himself a Buddhist, is said to have wept at the sight of the dilapidated town.
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