LUMBINI

Lumbini, the monument of world peace declared in 1998, is the birthplace of Lord Buddha (Siddhartha Gautam- born in 623 B.C.). It lies in Rupandehi District in western part of Nepal. The Enlightened One is the pilgrimage destination of the world’s millions of people faithful to all schools of Buddhism. It is also the place were he gained enlightenment and became famous. Here one can see Maya Devi temple, the place where she gave birth to the lord, and an Ashoka pillar which has inscriptions identifying the spot as the birthplace, ruins of ancient stupas and monasteries, and Pushkarni pond where Queen Mayadevi took bath before giving birth. The Lumbini region has been developed through Lumbini Trust, a non governmental organization. Newer temples and monuments are being developed by different foreign countries. All temples found in this region form this place a royal Buddhist pilgrimages destination. The China temple located in Lumbini is a complex of pagodas, prayer rooms and meditation cells developed by the Buddhist Association of China. There is also Myanmar Temple also known as Loaming Cula Pagoda which soars into the sky. The International Glutamine Nuns temple is also found here, which is a replica of the Swayambhu stupa in Kathmandu. Many other temples are currently under construction.
Lumbini Museum, Lumbini International Research Institute, and Kapilvastu Museum (situated 27km west of Lumbini in Tilaurakot) are other places to see in this region. The Kapilvastu museum has ruins of ancient capital of Sakya kingdom where the Buddha spent his youth as Prince Siddhartha.