For the zone of Nepal, see Lumbini Zone.

not to be confused with Lumbini Gardens, Bangalore or Lumbini Park, Hyderabad

Lumbini, Nepal the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Country	Nepal
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, vi
Reference	666
Region **	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

Lumbinī (Sanskrit: लुम्बिनी, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi district of Nepal.^[1] It is the place where Queen Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama, who as the Buddha Gautama founded the Buddhist tradition. The Buddha lived between roughly 563 and 483 BCE. Lumbini is one of four magnets for pilgrimage that sprang up in places pivotal to the life of the Buddha, the others being at Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya and Sarnath.

Lumbini was where the Buddha lived until the age of 29. Lumbini has a number of temples, including the Mayadevi temple, and others under construction. Also located here is the Puskarini or Holy Pond where the Buddha's mother took the ritual dip prior to his birth and where he, too, had his first bath, as well as the remains of Kapilvastu palace. At other sites near Lumbini, earlier Buddhas were, according to tradition, born, achieved ultimate awakening and finally relinquished earthly form.

Location of Lumbini, Nepal

In Buddha's time[link]

Pilgrimage to Buddha's Holy Sites
The Four Main Sites
Lumbini · Bodh Gaya Sarnath · Kushinagar
Four Additional Sites
Sravasti · Rajgir Sankissa · Vaishali
Other Sites
Patna · Gaya · Kosambi Kapilavastu · Devadaha Kesariya · Pava Nalanda · Varanasi
Later Sites
Sanchi · Mathura Ellora · Ajanta · Vikramshila Ratnagiri · Udayagiri · Lalitgiri Bharhut · Barabar Caves
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In the Buddha's time, Lumbini was situated between Kapilavastu and Devadaha.^[2] It was there that the Buddha was born.^[3] A pillar now marks the spot of Asoka's visit to Lumbiní. According to an inscription on the pillar, it was placed there by the people then in charge of the park to commemorate Asoka's visit and gifts.^[4] The park was previously known as Rummindei, two miles north of Bhagavanpura.

In the Sutta Nipáta (vs. 683) it is stated that the Buddha was born in a village of the Sákyans in the Lumbineyya Janapada. The Buddha stayed in Lumbinívana during his visit to Devadaha and there preached the Devadaha Sutta.^[5]

Re-discovery[link]

In 1896 Nepalese archaeologists (effort by Khadga Samsher Rana) discovered a great stone pillar at the site attributed to Ashoka. It is believed that the pillar was established by the great king Ashoka in about 345 BC. Records made by the Chinese pilgrim Faxian were also used in the process of identifying this religiously acclaimed site.

Present-day[link]

Lumbini, as of 1997, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site specifically nominated for the international World Heritage program.

The present Lumbini is divided into an ratio of 1:3 which means it is 3 km long for every 1 km wide. In total it's 2 km by 6 km

The holy site of Lumbini is bordered by a large monastic zone in which only monasteries can be built, no shops, hotels or restaurants. It is separated into an eastern and western monastic zone, the eastern having the Theravadin monasteries, the western having Mahayana and Vajrayana monasteries.

The holy site of Lumbini has ruins of ancient monasteries, a sacred Bodhi tree, an ancient bathing pond, the Asokan pillar and the Mayadevi temple, where the precise place of birth of Buddha is located. From early morning to early evening, pilgrims from various countries perform chanting and meditation at the site.

A Non-governmental organization called "Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation" (APECF) backed by chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and then Prime Minister Prachanda, the Chinese government and a UN group called "United Nations Industrial Development Organization" (UNIDO) signed a deal to develop Lumbini into a "special development zone" with funds worth $3 billion.^[6] The venture was a China-UN joint project. A broader 'Lumbini Development National Director Committee' under the leadership of Pushpa Kamal Dahal was formed on October 17th, 2011.^[7] The six-member committee included Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) leader Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal, Forest Minister Mohammad Wakil Musalman, among other leaders. The committee was given the authority to "draft a master plan to develop Lumbini as a peaceful and tourism area and table the proposal" and the responsibility to gather international support for the same.^[8]

Hindus regard the Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu and thousands of Hindu pilgrims come here on the full moon of the Nepali month of Baisakh (April-May) to worship Maya Devi as Rupa Devi, the mother goddess of Lumbini.^[9]

Transport[link]

By air[link]

The closest airport is at Siddharthanagar, where flights to and from Kathmandu are served. There is also an airport in Gorakhpur, which serves flights to Indian cities. But lately Lumbini itself is planning to operate an airport besides it for the convenience of tourists and sightseeing persons.

By bus[link]

It's a 10 hour drive from the capital city Kathmandu.

By train[link]

The closest station is at Nautanwa, India on the Indian Railway network, but passenger trains are infrequent on this line. The alternative of taxi travel from the border crossing at Sunauli to Gorakhpur takes about two hours. From Sunauli, Siddharthanagar is only 3.5 kilometers. Total travel time is 12 – 18 hours from New Delhi and 10 – 12 hours from Kolkata (Calcutta).

The Mahaparinirvan Express tourist train stops in Gorakhpur where tourists continue to Lumbini by road.^[10]

Gallery[link]

• 

  Bodhi tree and pond at Lumbini

• 

  Exact birthplace of Gautama Buddha

• 

  Ashokan Pillar

• LumbiniGarden2.JPG

  Lumbini Garden

• 

  Eternal Peace Flame

• Lokamani Cula Pagoda Lumbini.jpg

  Burmese Lokamani Cula Pagoda

• Chinese Maitreya Temple Lumbini.JPG

  Chinese Maitreya Temple

• LumbiniFlags.JPG

  A mixture of Tibetan prayer flags and Korean lanterns near the Sacred Pool (Puskarni)

References[link]

www.basecamptrekking.com

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lumbini

• Lumbini travel guide from Wikitravel
• Video guide to Lumbini Nepal
• Entry on Lumbini in the Dictionary of Pali Proper Names
• WelcomeNepal.com: Lumbini
• Buddhist studies: Pilgrimage: Lumbini - Birthplace of the Buddha
• Lumbini Photo Gallery
• Where is Lumbini
• Where is Lumbini located
• lumbini fact
• Lumbini.info Lumbini photos, history, geography, annual festivals
• WorldHeritageSite.org/Lumbini
• World-Heritage-Tour.org 360° wraparound photos of Lumbini
• NepaloPedia 360° Enjoy the virtual tour of Lumbini. You can drag mouse up, down, left, right and travel 360 X 180 of almost all places of Lumbini.

Coordinates: 27°28′02″N 83°16′30″E / 27.467155°N 83.274908°E / 27.467155; 83.274908